


Gasolina

by luci_mcknight96



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ALL THE GAY, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Angst, Biker Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Demisexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Dogs, Drunk Texting, Drunken Confessions, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Panic, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Insecure Keith (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith has a dog, Kidnapping, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), M/M, Major Character Injury, Motorcycles, Non-Consensual Kissing, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Street Racing, Tall Lance, Tattoo Artist Keith (Voltron), Tattoos, Texting, asexual coran, auto mechanic lance, lightweight lance, mechanic lance, short keith, technosexual matt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2019-10-11 09:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 49,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luci_mcknight96/pseuds/luci_mcknight96
Summary: Lance is a mechanic, working at the Castle Garage.Keith is a tattoo artist by day, and up-and-coming street racer 'Leo' by night - under the tutelage of the famous 'White Stripe'.When Keith finds his bike in need of a little TLC, he goes to the closest garage - Castle. The moment Lance sees the rugged, tattooed racer, he knows he needs to become his friend.Will the cold-hearted Keith drag Lance into the seedy underworld of illegal motorcycle racing, or will the genuine Lance show Keith that there is more to life than bikes and infamy?*G A S O L I N A*AU where Keith races motorcycles and Lance is a mechanic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lance is a mechanic.
> 
> Keith is a motorcycle racer.
> 
> A match made in heaven? Or forged in hellfire?

The air in the garage was thick with the smell of gasoline and the sound of chugging engines. Latin music blared from a radio on the oil-stained worktop. I cranked up the volume, obnoxiously singing along. It was one of my favourite songs.

“Lance, do you have to have it so loud?” Hunk shouted from beneath the car we were working on. I hadn’t been paying much attention when Chief had told us what to do; I was too distracted by Allura. Sure, she was our manager, but she was fine. 

“Si, mi amigo!” I shouted back, dancing my way towards the car. 

Hunk slid out from under the car, oil smeared across his cheeks. Somehow, though, he’d managed to keep his signature orange headband clean. 

“Can you at least help me, dude? Coran is gonna be pissed if he comes back and this isn’t done.”

“Ugh…fine.” I groaned, shrugging off my work shirt and tying it around my waist. I adjusted my plain vest and scraped my hair back, then peered at what Hunk was working on.

“L A N C E!” Allura shouted from the office doorway. 

I straightened. She only ever shouted when she was really pissed. 

“Yes, mi amor?” I flirted. She always rejected me, but there was no harm in trying.

“Turn that shit down.” She growled, then slammed the office door behind her.

“Yes ma’am.” I sighed, turning the music down to a reasonable level. When I came back to the car, Hunk had come out from beneath and was wiping his hands clean, chuckling to himself.

“Yes ma’am.” He echoed, a hint of laughter in his voice.

“Shut up, puta.”

“Language.” He warned, shaking a wrench at me. “Don’t make me get Pidge involved.”

I shuddered. Pidge worked the reception desk at the garage, but she also happened to be a talented hacker. She could wipe out someone’s online accounts in a matter of seconds.

“My ears are burning.” A teasing voice called from the waiting area. Pidge popped her head through the open window. “Who’s talking about me?”

Hunk pointed at me.

“Lance called me a bitch.”

“Wait, I-“ I stammered, but Pidge cut me off.

“Lance,” She began, crossing her arms. “If you call my precious cinnamon roll one more shitty name, I swear to whatever gods you pray to that I will end you.”

“Yes ma’am.” I mumbled. 

Hunk snorted.

“Tell me if he does anything else, baby.” Pidge winked, then disappeared back into the waiting area. 

As Hunk broke out into thunderous laughter, I pulled my shirt back on and started towards the back door.

“I’m going to the café.” I growled. "At least I don't get bullied there."

“But we need to work…” Hunk whined. "It was only a joke. Come on..."

“I’m taking my break.” I shot back, then left the garage, slamming the back door shut behind me. I just needed some time to cool off - the cafe around the corner was a great place to take a breather. I loved our little family at the garage, but they had a habit of being...too much. 

Little did I know, when I returned to the garage, my life would change forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith runs into an issue at work.

“Alright, all done.” I grunted, wiping down my tattoo gun and sitting back to admire my work. The kid I’d been working on craned to look at his bicep.

“Awesome!” He exclaimed, twisting his arm to check out the tribal design. “Thanks, man.”

“No worries, dude.” I sighed, taking apart my machine while the client got out of the chair, taking a second look in the mirror. “Head on out to the front and Shiro will go through aftercare with you.”

The kid excitedly headed out of the back room. I rubbed my temples. I hated doing tribal tattoos – they were overdone 10 years ago, now they were just tasteless. Five hours of work for a design I didn’t even like. Still, I couldn’t be picky. Being an artist paid way more than the boring reception job I’d had before. Luckily Shiro had given me a shot at being an artist, and hired Adam to replace me. Now Shiro spent most of his time behind the desk, flirting with the new guy. Soon he’d be asking him to move in, too. 

I’d been living with Shiro for a few years. He took me in just after I got the reception job, when he found out I was 17 and staying in a hostel. In all those four years, he’d never brought anyone home. I sometimes worried I was keeping him from having a relationship, but seeing him flirt with Adam gave me hope.

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound from the front of the studio.

“Keith!” Shiro shouted from the front. 

I hurried out, peeling my gloves off as I went. Through the front window, I saw a car had smashed into something. Upon further inspection, I realised that ‘something’ was my fucking motorcycle.

“What the fuck!” I growled, running out to the roadside. Some jackass had reversed into my bike, and drove away before I could stop him.

“Fuck you!” I spat after him. “Asshole.”

“Keith,” Shiro said gently, coming outside to join me. He stopped when he saw the damaged bike. “Shiiiit.”

“Yup.” I breathed. “I am fucked.”

“We can get it fixed up.” He ventured, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. “I’m sure we can find somewhere to get it done in time. Hey, I know a great garage just around the corner from here – you just gotta take a left at Cirrus Cloud Café. You don’t have any more clients today, so why don’t you take it there now?”

“Uuuugh.” I groaned. “This is so fucking shit.”

“Castle is probably your best bet if you want to make the next race.” He said in a quiet voice. “The chief mechanic over there is one of the best, and I heard they hired a bike specialist last year.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” I huffed, manoeuvring the bike onto the footpath. “Call me if anyone drops in and asks for me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He laughed. “Hurry the fuck up and leave.”

I gave him the finger then began pushing the bike in the direction of the café. I was so angry, I barely noticed a guy coming towards the café, and almost hit him with my bike. I muttered an apology, and hurried on my way. He was kinda cute. Maybe I’d see him again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance heads back to the garage and runs into a familiar face.

After almost being hit by some grumpy-looking dude with a motorcycle outside the café, I angrily pushed my way through the door, the gentle tinkle of the bell calming me a little. The smell of pastries and coffee enveloped me.

“Welcome!” A kind voice said from the counter. Romelle, one of the staff, smiled at me. “Oh, hello Lance!”

“Hey Romelle.” I replied. I visited the café so often that all the staff had learned my name. I didn’t bother flirting with Romelle anymore, though. She had turned me down more times than I could count.

“What can I get my favourite customer today?”

“One vanilla latte, and a cinnamon roll.” I sighed, looking around the café. It was quieter than usual.

“Coming right up.” She sang, and got straight to making the latte. She hummed along to the soft music that played from a radio on the counter.

“Romy?” Luka, the manager, said, appearing from the back. “Allura just called in for her usual.”

“Okay! I’ll take it over after I’ve finished with Lance.”

“Hey Luka.” I said, waving. She disappeared without saying anything. Luka didn’t like me too much.

“I can take Allura’s order back if you want.” I said as Romelle handed me the latte and slid my cinnamon roll into a paper bag.

She shook her head. “No, I’ve got time. It will be nice to get out of the café for a little while, anyway.”

She continued to get Allura’s order ready while I leant against the counter, then appeared from behind with two to-go cups and a paper bag. We chatted idly while we walked back to the garage. I was surprised to see the back door propped open. When Romelle and I headed inside, I saw Hunk wheeling a familiar-looking bike through towards one of the workstations.

“New job for me?” I hollered, putting down my cup on the worktop. Romelle headed straight towards the office, knocking on the door. Allura came out and invited her into the office, closing the door behind them.

“Yeah, just came in.” Hunk replied. “Pidge is dealing with him. He seemed pissed off.”

“I would be pissed off too if my bike looked like that.” I huffed. “I’ll go introduce myself.” I specialised in motorcycles; my older sister had one while I was growing up, so I was most familiar with them.

I headed into the office area, stopping dead when I saw the grumpy tattooed dude who’d nearly run me over. His inky hair was covered with a red beanie, and tattoos were visible on his neck, above the collar of his red plaid shirt. 

His eyes widened when he saw me. He probably remembered how he’d nearly run me over.

We stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say to each other. 

“Do you two know each other, or something?” Pidge interrupted, crossing her arms. 

“N-no.” I stammered, holding out my hand awkwardly. “I’m Lance. I’ll be the one working on your bike.”

“Keith.” He tentatively took my hand – his were softer than I expected. “So you’re the motorcycle expert I heard about.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘expert’…” I laughed nervously. 

“How long will it take?” He asked bluntly, putting his hands into his pockets.

I rubbed the back of my head, thinking for a moment. “A week, maybe two?”

“Can you do it in by Friday?” He asked, his face completely serious. I was afraid to laugh.

“Erm…” It was Monday…there was no way I could get it done in four days. Still, looking into his wide eyes, I felt like I couldn’t say no. “Sure. Yeah, I can do that.”

“Great. I’ll come collect it at 4pm on Friday.” He started to leave, rummaging in his pockets for something.

“Wait!” I called. He turned back, his brows furrowed with confusion. “Erm…you should call in, first. I don’t want you to come in if its not done.”

He blinked a few times. His face was unreadable.

“How about I just give you my number?” He said calmly, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He took a business card from inside, and scribbled a number on the back with Pidge’s pen, then pushed the card into my hand. His soft skin brushed against me again, sending shocks through me. “Text me any updates you have, okay?”

“Yeah…” I mumbled. “Sure.”

“Cool.” He said gruffly, leaving in a hurry. When the door shut behind him, I collapsed back on one of the chairs in the office. 

“What the fuck was that?” Pidge demanded, standing over me.

“What?”

“You. That.” She laughed. “I’ve never seen you so nervous before. None of your other crushes ever made you act like that.”

“What?!” I shouted. “T-That’s not what’s going on here! I like women. End of story. I’m just uncomfortable with him because he nearly hit me with that bike earlier!”

“Sure…” Pidge teased, dragging me back into the garage and leaving me near the busted bike. When she walked away, I couldn’t help but wonder: why did that grumpy guy make my heart beat so fast?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance exchange text messages.

When I got back to my apartment that night, I threw myself onto the couch and groaned. I’d stayed late to get as much done on Keith’s bike as I could. I scolded myself for agreeing to such an unreasonable time limit, but something about his big, stupid eyes turned my brain to mush.

_Maybe I should tell him I won’t be able to do it so quickly_ , I thought. I pulled the business card from my pocket and traced the number with my finger, then flipped over the card to see what was on the other side.

_Keith Kogane_

_Artist_

_Black Lion Tattoo Studio_

Underneath the writing was a photograph of a detailed galaxy tattoo, and beside that was a picture of a black-maned lion. The tattoo was beautiful; I’d always admired tattoos but never had the guts to get one myself.

Maybe I could go get one from Keith…

Nope. Not happening. I couldn’t be in the same room with the guy without acting like a fool. I couldn’t imagine having him touching me with those soft hands for hours. 

I didn't even know why he made me feel so weird. Pidge's words haunted me:  _'None of your other crushes made you act like that...'._ Did I have a crush on this guy? I'd never liked a guy before. Maybe I was just jealous of his cool tattoos and edgy appearance. Sure, I didn't want to be edgy, but he seemed like the kind of guy who could make anything look cool. That was it; I was  _jealous_.

I sighed and inputted his number on my phone, then hovered over the text icon for a moment. I quickly composed a professional message saying I wouldn’t be able to complete the works by Friday, and was about to hit send, when Keith’s eyes popped into my head again.

Silently cursing, I deleted the message and simply wrote:

_Hey Keith, its Lance from Castle. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll keep you updated._

I hit send, then put my phone down on the coffee table and started making myself some food. Before I could do much, I heard my phone buzz from across the room. I scampered back to the coffee table, seeing Keith’s name across the screen. I quickly opened the message.

_Keith: Thanks for doing this. I really need it done by Friday._

I felt my heart sink. His eyes flashed in my mind again. I couldn’t disappoint him.

_Me: No problemo. What’s the occasion?_

I sent the text and waited for a minute, but no reply came. I sighed dejectedly and tossed my phone onto the couch, continuing with my food. Perhaps I’d been too friendly. The guy didn’t seem like the friendly type.

 

_~_

 

_Lance: Hey Keith, its Lance from Castle. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll keep you updated._

I read the text as I laid in bed, feeling my cheeks turn red. I was still in shock over what had happened – how the cute guy I’d nearly hit with my bike turned out to be the motorcycle expert Shiro told me about. When I told Shiro what happened, he’d laughed, that knowing glint in his eyes. He always seemed to be one step ahead. I just knew he had to have planned it all somehow.

“Keith, you gonna come out then?” Shiro shouted from the kitchen. I quickly shot a text back to Lance, then threw my phone onto the bed, grabbing my bike helmet from my desk and heading out into the kitchen. We headed down to the back of the building, and both hopped onto Shiro’s bike, speeding out from behind the studio and down the road. We eventually came to an empty parking lot, where Shiro deposited me in the smoking shelter, and began circling the tarmac. The smell of gasoline was thick in the air as I watched him spin and swerve and skid, eventually stopping in front of me.

“You think you can do all that?” He asked, removing his helmet.

“Hmm?” I sighed, snapping out of my daydream. I couldn’t get Lance’s dazzling eyes out of my mind. And his broad chest. And his lean arms…

“What’s the point of me being your mentor if you don’t even pay attention.” He grumbled, resting the helmet against his hip.

“Sorry, I’m a bit distracted tonight.” I groaned. “Plus, I don’t even have my bike, so I can’t do drills.”

“Keith, you’ll never be as famous as Tex if you don’t pay attention. The next race is on Friday. You can’t get lazy.”

“I  _literally_  can’t practice. What do you expect me to do, follow you around on a fucking pushbike?”

He glowered at me.

“Sorry,  _Dad_.” I teased. “I’ll pay attention.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “If I catch you fantasizing about that mechanic again you can walk home.”

“Deal.” I shouted as he revved the engine of his bike, then went back to circling the tarmac. I tried to keep my mind away from Lance, instead focusing on Shiro’s technique. Still, every time I closed my eyes, I saw his arms, his chest, his shoulders. Dammit, this guy was becoming a problem.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge, Hunk, Lance and Matt get drunk at Lance's apartment.

I closed the door to my apartment after another long day of working on Keith’s bike. Pidge was still giving me sass about my pathetic reaction to him the day before, but I didn’t let it distract me. I knew I’d need a miracle to pull the repairs off by Friday – or maybe just an all-nighter at the garage. Hunk might stay late with me if I bribe him with food…

My phone buzzed twice in my pocket. I leant back against the door and peered at the screen; one text from Keith, one from Pidge. I rolled my eyes and opened the message from Pidge first.

_Pidge: Hey loverboy, Me and Hunk are on our way over._

I quickly shot a text back.

_Me: Why? What do you want from me this time?_

She immediately replied,

_Pidge: We have beer._

I hesitated a moment, then begrudgingly replied,

_Me: You better have enough for all of us._

I exited out of the message and looked at the one from Keith. I expected it to be a message asking for an update on his bike, but it was a random combination of emojis followed by the word ‘asshole’. I sent him a question mark, then tossed my phone onto the couch and changed into sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. I saw these jerks every day, so I didn’t care how I looked.

When I came back out of my room, I heard an obnoxious banging on my front door. Before I had a chance to open it myself, Pidge, Hunk and Matt – Pidge’s older brother – barged inside. I’d clearly left it unlocked when I came back.

“What’s up, loser?” Pidge bellowed at me, prodding my chest with her finger. She stank of beer. “You mad cause you forgot to lock the door?”

“I swear to God, if you throw up in my apartment, I will delete you from this existence.”

Pidge chucked, throwing herself on the couch. Hunk followed suit, nodding at me sympathetically while Matt put the beers in the refrigerator.

“Matt, long time no see.” I slapped him on the back. “How’s that sex robot coming along?”

“It’s not a sex robot.” He whined. “It’s a highly advanced AI vessel which could change the face of human loneliness as we know it.”

I paused for a moment.

“Still sounds like a sex robot.”

Matt sighed. “Pidge, why did you invite me again? Your friends are so…normal.”

“Not my friends.” Pidge replied, fiddling with her phone. No, _my phone_. “Colleagues. Lance, you have a text from the cute tattooed guy you have a crush on.”

“Wait, Lance has a crush on a guy?” Hunk butted in, looking at the text too.

“Give me my phone!” I whined, scampering to wrestle it out of her hands. Before I managed to get it away from her, she sent a reply to the message. “Fuck you, Pidge. What did you send?”

She didn’t reply, smirking while I read the message history.

_Me: ?_

_Keith: Sorry, that was meant for someone else._

_Me: u r cute, lets get coffee_

“What the _fuck_ Pidge!?” I cried, slouching forward over the back of the couch. My life was over. Done. I couldn’t go back to work. If I ever saw that dude again…

“No need to thank me.” She teased.

“I’m fucked.” I said softly. “I am completely fucked. Keith will never want to come near me again.”

“Wait, a tattooed guy named Keith?” Matt interrupted, sitting on one of the dining chairs. “Do you mean Keith Kogane?”

My head shot up. “You know him?!”

“Yeah, my friend Shiro is his boss. I think they rent an apartment together, actually.”

Before I had a chance to say anything else, my phone buzzed. It was from Keith.

_Keith: What the fuck? Are you high?_

_Me: No! Fuck. My drunk friend took my phone._

_Keith: Sure._

_Me: As if I’d ask someone out over text. So pathetic._

_Keith: Wow, someone’s rude. How’s my bike coming?_

Pidge tapped my shoulder mid-text. “What’s he saying?”

“Piss off and drink some more beer.” I snapped.

“ _You_ need a drink.” Hunk laughed, handing me an open bottle. I begrudgingly took it and guzzled half of it in one go, then the rest in quick succession. A poor choice on my part. I’d never been very good at drinking, and today was no different. I felt it hit me in a matter of minutes, suddenly filled with false confidence. I returned to my text, and sent it without hesitation.

_Me: You’re lucky I’m a damn God with bikes or you’d be fucked. Nice lion vinyl by the way._

_Keith: It’s one of Shiro’s designs._

_Me: Do you know someone called Matt Holt?_

_Keith: Robotics genius? Yeah, he sometimes hangs out with my boss. Look, I’m kinda busy._

_Me: Sure, okay. I’ll update you tomorrow._

I buried my phone in my pants pocket and sighed, grabbing another beer from the refrigerator. Pidge was basically out of it already, curled up with her head on Hunk’s shoulder and her legs sprawled across his lap. Ever since I’d gotten the job at Castle, she’d been really clingy and protective when it came to Hunk. Not that we got drunk together very often, but when we did, she was even worse.

“Huuuunk…” She whined, clinging to his neck. “I wanna go hooome.”

Matt turned to me sympathetically. “I should probably take her home. Sorry to leave so early, but she’s been drinking since she clocked out.”

“No worries, man.” I laughed.

After seeing them out, I laid back the couch, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I stared at Keith’s name for a long time, trying to talk myself out of sending him another text. My brain said ‘no’, but the alcohol was screaming ‘yes, yes, yes’…


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Adam have a sleepover. Keith goes for a walk.

“Adam is staying over tonight.” Shiro said to me while we were cleaning up the back room of the studio. Adam was vacuuming the front, so he couldn’t hear us.

“You want me to give you two some alone time?” I teased. “I’m sure I can find something to do.”

“You don’t have to-“ Shiro began, but I crossed my arms firmly.

“No, this is the first guy you’ve brought home in four years. I am not going to ruin your chances with him by getting my little brother smell all over the place.”

“Keith…”

“Shiro, you and Adam have been flirting for nearly a year. Get that good dick.”

Shiro paused, cocking his eyebrow.

“When did you become an actual grown up.” He laughed. “Fuck me, I remember when you were just a 17-year-old brat with anger issues and too much baggage.”

“I’ll have you know I still have anger issues and too much baggage. I simply know how to hide them.”

Shiro smiled affectionately, ruffling my long hair. “Thanks bro.”

I punched his hand away. “No problem, Onii-chan.”

“I told you not to call me that!” Shiro whined. Before he could say anything else, the vacuum shut off and Adam popped his head into the back room.

“I’m just about done out here.” He said cheerfully.

“Great.” Shiro replied, then turned to me. “We’ll head upstairs. Lock up when you’re finished.”

“Sure.”

They vanished into the stairwell. I waited for their footsteps to fade away, putting away the last few ink bottles, then grabbed my jacket and helmet from the office, and headed out the back, making sure to lock the door behind me. When I got outside, I remembered my bike was still being repaired. I cursed under my breath, pulling my phone out and texting Shiro.

_Me: Hey, let me borrow your bike._

He replied instantly.

_Shiro: Fuck no._

I angrily texted him a bunch of emojis and the word ‘asshole’, then put my helmet back in the studio, and decided to walk to the nearest liquor store. A few minutes passed, and my phone went off in my pocket. It was a text from Lance – a question mark in response to the message above. I groaned when I realised I’d sent the text to the wrong person – and the cute mechanic of all people! I couldn’t get him out of my mind…maybe that why I subconsciously sent the text to him instead of Shiro.

_Me: Sorry, that was meant for someone else._

I replied. Every second that passed, I worried that Lance was judging me. Finally, he sent a reply.

_Lance: u r cute, lets get coffee_

I felt my face go bright red, stopping dead in the street. Was he actually asking me out? Was it a prank? He had to be high. There was no way in hell he would just say something like that out of the blue…was there?

I quickly typed a reply, realising I’d left him hanging without an answer. My inner child came out, and the message came across a lot more hostile than I intended.

_Me: What the fuck? Are you high?_

He immediately replied.

_Lance: No! Fuck. My drunk friend took my phone._

I felt my heard sink a little at the bluntness of it. I knew he wasn’t that kind of guy. I bet he wasn’t even gay. I had no hope with him.

_Me: Sure._

I replied quickly, attempting to come across more teasing than my previous message.

_Lance: As if I’d ask someone out over text. So pathetic._

_Me: Wow, someone’s rude. How’s my bike coming along?_

I tried to segue the conversation into something less awkward, continuing to walk toward the liquor store. The air was cold; I wished I’d just stayed at the apartment. A few minutes passed before Lance replied.

_Lance: You’re lucky I’m a damn God with bikes or you’d be fucked. Nice lion vinyl by the way._

I smiled at my phone, typing a quick reply before I headed into the liquor store.

_Me: It’s one of Shiro’s designs._

_Lance: Do you know someone called Matt Holt?_

Why was he asking about Matt? I picked up a bottle of whiskey and headed to the counter, quickly sending a reply before I put my phone in my pocket again.

_Me: Robotics genius? Yeah, he sometimes hangs out with my boss. Look, I’m kinda busy._

I shoved my phone back into my pocket. I felt it buzz, but didn’t look at it until I’d bought the whiskey and stood outside the store.

Lance: Sure, okay. I’ll update you tomorrow.

I sighed. I knew it was pointless to get attached to a guy who was probably straight, but I couldn’t help it. I spent every waking moment thinking about his damn body, and he’d even made an appearance in my dreams the night before. I hated to admit it, but I had it bad for this dude.

I unscrewed the cap of the bottle and took a swig, wincing at the burn I felt at the back of my throat. My tongue piercing clanged against the rim of the bottle as I pulled it away from my mouth.

“Hey kid.” A familiar voice said from the store entrance. I turned to see Acxa, one of Shiro’s regular clients. I remembered seeing her at a few races, too. Her posse were behind her, the larger one with her arm over the smaller.

“Acxa, long time no see.”

She turned to her posse. “You guys go ahead, I’ll meet you inside.” She stood beside me, leaning against a pillar. She was a few inches taller than me and it was infuriating.

“So,” She said, flipping her choppy, midnight-blue hair out of her face. “What brings a kid like you out to such a shitty part of town?”

“Shiro’s getting laid.” I grumbled.

“No shit! Good for him.” She exclaimed. “Terrible for you, though. How long do you reckon it will be before he asks you to move out?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “He’s already on the verge of quitting as my mentor. If I lose him, I have nothing.”

“Hey, buddy.” She said softly. “Shiro is a good guy. He’ll do right by you, I know it.”

“Thanks.” I laughed.

Acxa stretched and headed back towards the store entrance.

“Go home, kid. You don’t wanna stay around here for longer than you have to.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I replied, but she was already gone. Just as I straightened up, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket again. It was a text from Lance.

_Lance: come over_

My heart skipped a beat. He didn’t mean it. I just had to keep telling myself it was all a prank.

_Me: What?_

_Lance: come overrrr I’m bored_

_Me: Seriously though, are you high?_

_Lance: no I’m Lacne_

_Lance: Lace_

_Lance: fukc_

I laughed. He was definitely drunk.

_Me: You do know who you’re texting, right?_

_Lance: Keithy Keith the pretty boy_

I blushed, then slapped myself. He was  _drunk_. Taking advantage of it would be wrong.

_Me: Go to sleep, Lance._

_Lance: I’m not sleepy I’m bord now come overrrr_

I sighed. There was no way I was going to his house – I didn’t even know where he lived. All I could do was try to convince him to get some sleep.

_Me: You better have my bike done if you’re getting drunk._

_Lance: what no I’m not drunk no_

_Lance: you’re drunk_

_Me: Go to sleep. You’re not cute when you’re drunk._

The next message didn’t arrive for a minute or so.

_Lance: shut up cute face_

_Lance: pretty boyy_

_Lance: tatoo man_

_Lance: mi amorrrr <3_

_Me: Goodnight, Lance._

The last message from him was such a mess of characters that I didn’t even bother trying to decipher it.

_Lance: fcukem pelase_

Instead, I continued walking home. As much as I tried to get his stupid face out of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened if I knew where he lived. Stupid Lance.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance runs into a familiar face at the cafe.

I showed up to work earlier than usual. I’d woken up before sunrise with an awful hangover, but somehow had managed to drag myself out of bed and into the shower, after which it was mere child’s play getting ready. The worst part about a hangover was the initial getting out of bed. About an hour into work, however, I realised just how wrong I was. My head was pounding, and I had a strange sense of dread, as if I’d done something stupid, I just couldn’t remember what it was. Hunk, who appeared unusually chipper despite drinking more than me, seemed to notice my discomfort.

“Aw, buddy, how are you feeling?”

“Like the inside of death’s ass-crack.” I groaned, sitting on the stained floor of the garage. Keith’s bike was annoyingly-close to being finished, so I didn’t want to waste any time. Still, I could barely focus on anything for more than a few minutes without my head starting to pound.

Coran, who had been talking with Allura in her office, came over when he noticed me sitting on the floor.

“Lance, my boy. What are you doing on the floor? It’s filthy.”

“He has a hangover.” Hunk announced. When I gave him a death glare, he quickly averted his eyes.

“A hangover, eh?” Coran asked, crouching down. “I know just the cure for a hangover.”

That was how, by some strange turn of events, the entire staff decided to head to Cirrus Cloud Café for lunch together. Everyone except Allura, who was too busy with paperwork.

“Four specials, please, Romelle.” Coran announced as we entered the café. It was quiet as usual, so we pushed two tables together. Ten minutes later, four plates stacked high with greasy food appeared on the table. While Coran and Hunk looked excited at the prospect – the two of them being the least hungover, or not hungover at all – Pidge and I turned green at the sight of it.

“Coran, are you sure this is a hangover cure?” I asked uneasily, poking at a crispy piece of bacon with my fork.

“Absolutely! Luka makes the best fried breakfast this side of the Atlantic.” He said around mouthfuls of meat.

I tentatively poked at the bacon again, this time lifting it to my face. It smelled amazing and nausea-inducing all at once. I bit the bullet – or the bacon – and started eating, realising after a few minutes that it was actually making me feel a little better. Pidge still hadn’t touched hers, and instead was making a face with it.

I ate as much as I could, then leant back in my chair. Hunk and Coran had both cleared their plates, and Pidge had eaten half a sausage and a hash brown. Everyone seemed to be feeling better.

Then my phone buzzed from my pocket. A text from Keith.

_Keith: I’ll pretend last night didn’t happen if you do._

I furrowed my brow. What did he mean? I scrolled back through my texts and saw what I’d been sending him the night before.

“Ohhh shit.” I groaned. “I fucked up.”

“I knew you’d feel worse after.” Pidge teased.

“No, not the food.” I rubbed my temples. My headache had returned with a vengeance. “I drunk texted a client.”

“You did not!” Pidge exclaimed, reaching to snatch my phone out of my hands. I held it out of her reach. “Let me see! I want to see how big of a fool you made yourself!”

“Fuck no.” I retorted, poking my tongue out. “I doubt Keith will ever come back anyway. He seems like a bit of a jerk.”

“Keith?” Coran asked. “As in Black Lion Tattoo’s Keith?”

“Why does everyone know Keith except me?” I exclaimed. As if summoned by some demonic force, Keith and another guy appeared in the doorway of the café. My eyes were drawn to Keith instantly; it was the first time I’d seen him since he gave me his number, and I’d already made a dick of myself. His eyes were tired, ringed with black, and heavy-lidded. His scruffy hair – which I now noticed was basically a fucking  _mullet_  – was tucked into the same red beanie. The other guy seemed much more chipper than Keith, but just as tired. He had a streak of white in his otherwise ink-black hair. Maybe they’d been drinking, too. They both wore hoodies with the tattoo studios logo – the black lion – on the front.

“Shiro!” Coran shouted, attracting their attention. I scrambled to hide, but Keith was already staring at me with that ‘barely interested’ look he always seemed to have.

“Ehehe…” Pidge cackled quietly.

“ _Fuck off_.” I whispered in reply.

“Hey Coran!” Shiro said cheerfully. So  _this_  was the Shiro I’d heard people talk about. Romelle had mentioned him a few times, too. She said she’d always wanted to get a tattoo at Black Lion, but was too terrified of the scrappy emo boy who hung around. Now I knew who that scrappy emo boy was, and I didn’t blame her. “I’ve never seen you here with the whole team before! Where’s Allura?”

I noticed Romelle perk up at the sound of Allura’s name.

“Paperwork, I’m afraid. She said she needed to get it all done by Friday.”

Shiro nodded knowingly. “Yes, of course.” He looked at us all. “How rude of me. I’m Shiro, and this is Keith. We work at the Black Lion Tattoo Studio.”

“We’ve met.” Keith snapped, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. I caught him staring; he quickly averted his eyes.

“Mind if we join you?” Shiro asked. He seemed like a really friendly guy. I wondered how he’d ended up being friends with Keith.

Coran looked at his watch.

“Actually, we’d better be getting back.” He stood up, gesturing for us to follow. “Remember you can stop by if you ever need any bike repairs. We’ve got a great bike specialist now.” He said, slapping me on the back.

Shiro smiled knowingly. “So  _this_  is the guy I’ve heard so much about.” He held out his hand for me to take, squeezing it uncomfortably tightly. “You should come by the studio one day. Any friend of Coran’s is a friend of ours.”

“Thanks…”

We said our goodbyes and left the café. I couldn’t help but to feel uncomfortable about the interaction. Unfortunately, my mind had been renewed with new images of Keith to taunt me with. I knew I’d be working hard for the rest of the day, if only to stop the guilt.

~

After they left the café, Shiro turned to me, smirking.

“Don’t fucking say anything.” I grumbled.

“What?” He teased, elbowing me. “Come on, he’s  _hot_.”

“I know…” I mumbled, burying my flushed face in my hands. I had it  _bad_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Just wanna say thanks for the positive response I've had for this already! It's great to see people enjoying my writing :)
> 
> Normally I don't write stuff this fast, but I'm super inspired for this fic. 
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gives Keith a nickname. Keith collects his motorcycle from the garage.

I revved the engine of Keith’s motorcycle, sighing with relief at the healthy purr. I’d just finished fixing it up – a day before my deadline, no less! Sure, it was after hours and Keith couldn’t even collect it until morning, but I felt proud of myself for getting it done so quickly.

After shutting off the all the lights and locking up, I started walking to where I’d parked my car near the corner of the street. We had limited parking at the garage, and Allura liked to keep it reserved for clients. As I pulled out my keys, I noticed a hooded figure approaching on the other side of the road. I went to duck my head, then recognised the familiar red beanie.

“Keith?” I called out.

The figure looked up. Even in the dim streetlights, I could see those huge round eyes – my chest fluttered slightly. I put t down to the amount of energy drinks I’d consumed to keep me going. I cringed; I still hadn’t explained the drunk texts to him…I didn’t want to know what he thought of me.

“Lance.” He replied, crossing over to my car. “What are you doing here so late?”

“I stayed late to finish your bike.” I said, pointing in the direction of the garage. “I just finished it up, so you can collect it any time tomorrow.”

He looked a little surprised. “You actually managed to get it finished? In three days?”

“I mean, I had to stay late today and yesterday,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “But yeah.”

“I guess you are a motorcycle expert.” He mumbled.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear.” I teased.

“Fuck off.” He grumbled, pulling his hat further down his head. “I’ll pick it up first thing.”

“Great.” I said, unlocking my car and opening the door. He’d already started to walk away, but turned back before I could close the door.

“Thanks.” He grumbled, then stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking away as quickly as he could.

“You’re welcome, Mullet-head.” I shouted back, quickly closing my car door and driving away. I laughed to myself all the way home.

~

The next morning, I was up before my alarm and out of the house in record time. For some reason, I felt more eager than usual to get to work. When I arrived, Pidge teased me about wanted to see Keith; I ignored her and started pricing up the repairs in the office. When I heard the jingle of the doorbell, I shot to my feet.

“Welcome back, Keith.” Pidge said kindly, throwing a wadded-up ball of paper in my direction. “We’ll just be a moment. Please take a seat.”

“Thanks.” He grumbled in his perpetually irritated tone.

I quickly finished off the pricing and printed it out, then handed it over to Pidge, hurrying back into the garage before he saw me. I crouched down behind his bike, my heart racing in my chest. Shit! Why did he make me feel so weird?

“Lance?” Hunk asked, approaching me with oil-stained hands. “Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding.” I stammered. Pidge and Keith had just entered the garage, the latter looking at me with confusion while the former simply smirked. “I-I’m just…checking the floor for…for…ants.”

Hunk raised an eyebrow.

“Ants?” He asked, unimpressed.

“Y-yeah!” I scrambled to my feet. “I saw ants! They’re gone now, though.”

“Riiiight.” Pidge said deliberately. “ _Ants_.”

“Fuck off, Pidge.”

“Mind your language in front of clients, Lance.” Coran said, coming out of the office. “Oh, Keith! I didn’t know it was your bike Lance was fixing up.”

“Yeah.” Keith mumbled, shrugging. “Some asshole hit it outside the studio a few days ago.”

“Well, Lance has done a bang-up job of getting it done quickly!” Coran laughed. “Quickest he’s ever finished a job, actually! We’re all pretty surprised!”

“Some of us more than others…” Hunk said quietly, going back to what he was working on.

“We’re all done with the paperwork.” Pidge threw over her shoulder as she went back to the office. “You’re all good to show him out, right?”

“Pidge-“ I barked, but she was already gone. “Fuck.”

“Look, just do whatever you’ve gotta do so I can leave.” Keith sighed. He didn’t look as tired as the day before, but his wide eyes were still ringed with black. “Also,” He added, looking around him. When he saw that nobody was watching, he took a step closer. “Don’t ever fucking call out my mullet again.”

“Why not?” I breathed, a challenge in my voice. “What if I meant it as a compliment?”

“Nobody compliments a fucking mullet.” He growled.

“If you know that then why the fuck do you have a mullet?”

He stared me down for a moment, our faces so close that I could feel his breath on my chin. Up close, I realised how much shorter he was than me – it was only a few inches, but it felt like a mile.

“Just…forget it.” He grumbled, kicking his bike off the stand and wheeling it towards the back door, which Coran had propped open for us. “Thanks for the bike, dumbass.”

“You’re welcome, Mullet-head!” I shouted behind him. He gave me the finger without looking back, and then he was gone.

“Was that Keith?” Allura, who had apparently been standing nearby, said to me.

“Y-yeah.” I replied. Allura didn’t come out of the office very often, let alone talk to us properly. “I just fixed up his bike.”

Her face was unreadable while she stood for a moment, presumably thinking.

“Did he say anything about Friday?” She asked finally.

“Yeah, he said he needed it done by then. Why? What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She snapped. “Has Romelle dropped my order by yet?”

As I was about to tell her no, Romelle skipped through the back door, holding two to-go cups and a paper bag.

“Keith looked grumpy!” She said cheerfully. “Who upset him?”

“Lance.” Allura laughed, linking her arm through Romelle’s. “Come in for a bite?”

Romelle laughed and they retreated to the back office, closing the door behind them. They were thick as thieves lately, it was unnerving.

I looked back over at the open door, seeing Keith’s eyes in my mind, and feeling his phantom breath on my chin. It made my heart pound. Why the fuck did this random guy make me feel so weird?! I hated him…but at the same time, there was a part of me that was desperate for his approval. Oh well. I probably wouldn’t see him again, so there was no point getting hung up over it.

 

~

 

After the rest of the staff had left, Coran and I sat in the back office, flicking through our paperwork.

“So…” I said, reading an old pamphlet that had been sitting around for a while. “Keith and Lance.”

Coran chuckled. “I never thought the two of them would get along, but…”

“They certainly seem to have a spark.” I mused. “Lance is an eternal optimist; Keith could use someone like that.”

“You always said you wanted to keep the staff away from this stuff.” Coran said, looking up at me. “Allura, are you sure about this?”

I sighed.

“I think it’s time we brought Lance into our little world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooohhhh~
> 
> Thanks again for the love guys, I never expected people to actually read my shitty fanfic!
> 
> Pls let me know what you think is going to happen next ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith goes to Race Night.

“Keith!” Shiro shouted when he saw me pull up on my bike. “All good?”

“Yeah.” I replied, removing my helmet. “I did a quick loop around the block to check; its running smoother than it was before.”

“I told you – the kid is a genius.”

“I wouldn’t say genius…” I muttered, tossing Shiro my helmet. “Is my client here yet?”

“He’s waiting inside.”

I ducked through the back door and found my client waiting in the chair. Shiro had already prepared my station, so everything was ready to go.

“Hey, man.” He said. He looked a little nervous; it was his first tattoo.

“Hey. James, right?” I rifled through my drawers until I found the sketch he’d requested – a futuristic-looking spaceship – and began tracing it onto stencil paper.

“Most people just call me Griffin.”

“Right.” I mumbled. “First tattoo?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. It’ll be over before you know it.”

~

An hour or so later, I’d finished tattooing James’. It was mostly linework, so it hadn’t taken too long. We’d gotten to talking, and he actually seemed like a pretty cool guy. He’d even booked in for another tattoo with me before leaving. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly – it was Adam’s day off, so I was sat sketching at the reception desk all afternoon – and before I knew it, Shiro and I were getting ready to leave for the night.

“Shiro, have you seen my gloves?” I shouted out of my bedroom door.

“Sock drawer!” He shouted back, appearing from his bedroom half-dressed and flustered. “I can’t find my Kevlar shirt.”

“Shiro, you’ve never had an accident. I’m sure you’ll be fine without it for one race.”

He frowned for a moment, then shook his head, pulling a skin-tight lycra shirt over his bare chest.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He leant against the doorframe. “Did the Chief tell you who you’re up against yet?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.

“I heard a rumour that you’re going against The Wanderer.”

“Pfft,” I peeled off my t-shirt and replaced it with my protective Kevlar undershirt. “The Wanderer is just a hoax. It’s just sore losers using some urban legend to explain why they suck.”

“Don’t be so sure.” He warned me, gathering the rest of his kit together. “I’ll wait downstairs.”

“Right.” I quickly finished getting ready, then checked my phone once before setting out. I didn’t know what I was checking for, but I was a little disappointed when I saw I had no texts.

~

Music blared from an open car when we skidded to a halt. Once a month, a society of thugs, hooligans, and genuine badasses gathered in the empty base of the old canal for Race Night. ‘Chief’ – the big boss of the society – organised street and drag races. The winners earned bragging rights, and everyone else bet on who they thought would win. Some of us were like family, but others were purely in it for the fame – or infamy.

I noticed the black land rover with tinted windows parked a little away from everyone else – the Chief. Something about not knowing who they really were made me feel uneasy.

“White Stripe and Leo!” Acxa hollered, approaching us with her posse. She was kitted out head to toe in racing gear, and her two companions were covered in dark makeup and leather.

“Shadow! Good to see you!” Shiro laughed. “I see you’re racing tonight?”

“You know it.” She looked over to where a group of the more dangerous racers stood. “The Prodigy’s posse is here, too.”

“Shit, really?” Shiro grimaced. “Last time Prodigy raced, Lone Wolf ended up- Sorry.”

Acxa frowned. Lone Wolf was one of her closest friends, and a tragic ‘accident’ during her race with Prodigy – which some claimed wasn’t really an accident at all – had left her hospitalised. A few days later, she died from internal bleeding.

“I hope he’s racing me.” She growled. “I’ll get revenge for Narti.”

I looked around. There were a lot more people than usual, though it was probably due to the rumours Shiro had heard about The Wanderer. Everyone wanted to know if they were real or not. A mysterious racer who showed up to race nights, won their race, then never returned. Allegedly they were one of the strongest competitors in the country, but didn’t do it for the fame or money. I didn’t believe a word of it. Some people had far too much imagination.

I was shocked out of my thoughts by a honk from the Chief, signalling for the first race to start. Princess – Chief’s messenger and our resident starter – climbed down from the back seat with a flashcard in her hands. She had stunning white hair that fell in ringlets to her hips, and wore a leather jacket over denim shorts and a black bralette, with a black surgical mask and dark shades on her face. Like the Chief, and many people in the society, she didn’t show her face.

She walked over to the starting line in her impractically high heels and looked at the card.

“Tonight’s City Race will be Shadow versus The Prodigy.” She called out. Acxa tensed up beside me – the City Race was the main attraction, and the most dangerous of all the races. They had to get from one end of the city to the other without being caught. First to the Hotel Galra was the winner.

“See you on the other side.” Acxa breathed, taking her helmet from Ezor and moving to the starting line.

There were hushed murmurs as The Prodigy – a tall, slender man with platinum-blonde hair and a gorgeous face – joined her at the starting line. There was something unnerving about him, something dark. I could never quite put my finger on it, but I knew he was dangerous. I was glad Acxa finally had a chance to avenge Narti, but I was worried for her. Prodigy was trouble.

With a flick of Princess’ hand, they were off, the sound of their engines fading into the night. We wouldn’t know who won for a while, so Princess checked the next race on the list.

“First up on the Canal Circuit, we have Leo versus Kitten.”

I laughed to myself. Kitten was an relatively new racer, and certainly not a danger to anyone. Of course The Wanderer wasn’t here – they weren’t real, after all.

I pulled my helmet back on and got myself ready at the starting line. Once everyone had cleared out of the way, Princess raised her hand into the air. I braced myself, getting ready to start. This was it, this was everything I lived for. The thrill of speeding through the night air, the spur of friendly competition. I lived for it, and I knew one day I would die for it.

Princess looked to her left; I followed. Coming down into the canal was a broad-shouldered, dark-haired figure wearing a black surgical mask and a baseball cap. Even in the dark, he was unmistakable to me. Princess’ hand fell, and I didn’t move. For just a fraction of a second, I hesitated – because the person coming into the Canal was the person I’d been fantasizing about for days.

I sped away, leaving him in my dust. I’d deal with Lance later, for now, I had to win this race.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough ages of characters (because I never really clarified lol):
> 
> Keith - 21  
> Lance - 20  
> Hunk - 20  
> Pidge - 18  
> Shiro - 29  
> Allura - 30  
> Coran - 35  
> Romelle - 25  
> Adam - 28  
> Acxa - 26  
> Matt - 25  
> James - 21  
> 'The Prodigy' - 28
> 
> More characters of some importance will be introduced so I'll post their ages as I go along.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's work takes him somewhere unexpected.

I wasn’t sure what to think when I got a text from Allura after hours. I was even more confused when she asked me to meet her at the old canal downtown, and to cover my face. Still, she’d said it was work related, and that I’d be paid overtime, so I couldn’t really refuse.

I heard the sound of engines before I even arrived. The air was thick with exhaust fumes, and hip-hop music played from a car stereo. Just before I came over the ridge, I heard a clear voice call out,

“First up on the Canal Circuit, we have Leo versus Kitten.”

I quickly crested the edge of the canal, crouching down to stay out of sight. The canal was full of cars, motorcycles, and people milling about. Right in the centre, two riders were mounting their bikes, revving their engines. In front of them stood a statuesque woman with gorgeous white hair and legs for _days_.

“What the fuck…?” I whispered. The rider closest to me was mounted on a bike that I would recognise anywhere – I’d been staring at it for the past 3 days straight. “Keith?”

I quickly slid down the side of the canal, stopping a little away from the crowd. The woman looked over at me; her face was covered with shades and a mask. The rider – Keith, I presumed – looked at me too.

Then the race began.

At first I thought he couldn’t be Keith, since he showed no sign of recognising me, but he hesitated for a fraction of a second after the woman started the race, before charging away with a roar from his motorcycle.

My chest felt light. Why had Allura told me to meet her here of all places? It clearly wasn’t work related, since everyone here looked like a criminal. Was Allura making deals with shady people? Did she need me to protect her?

The woman with white hair approached me, and handed me an envelope with a piece of card inside. I stared at her; there was something oddly familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“Wait for Leo after his race.” She said, her voice so familiar that it pained me. “White Stripe has been briefed, so he will explain.”

She began to walk towards a black land rover.

“Wait!” I barked. “Who are you?”

She stopped, but didn’t turn back for a moment. When she did, she lowered her shades just enough to show her dazzling blue eyes.

“Allura?” I whispered.

She winked, then put one finger to her mouth as if to say ‘it’s a secret’. She then retrieved a card from the driver of the land rover and returned to the centre of the canal.

As if she’d known they were coming, Allura raised her arms up in the air at the same time the two riders came speeding back through the canal. Keith was ahead by a fraction.

I heard whooping from one side of the canal. Shiro stood with some other decked-out bikers, and a couple of hot girls. So, not only Allura and Keith were here, but Shiro too? I half expected Pidge or Romelle to come out of nowhere, or even Coran. It was ridiculous! I still didn’t even know what was going on.

Keith hopped off his bike, accepting praise from the people gathered around him before making a beeline for me. I fidgeted on my feet as he approached, then remembered what Allura had said to me.

“Erm…are you…Leo?” I asked uncomfortably.

Keith paused, crossing his arms.

“A- I mean…the woman with the white hair…”

“Princess?” He interrupted.

“Yeah, I guess she is a bit of a princess…”

“No,” He added, removing his helmet with a laugh. His mullet danced around his neck, and his wide eyes were ringed with black once more. There was no denying it was Keith now – I felt just as anxious as I always did around him. “Her name is Princess.”

“Oh. Right.” I looked down at the card. “She told me to wait for you. She said White Stripe has been briefed, and that he would explain.”

Keith whistled, waving at Shiro to come over.

“What’s up?” Shiro asked, looking between us. It took him a moment to recognise me. “Ah, I see.”

“He said Princess told him you could explain.” Keith mumbled, readjusting his jacket. “I’d like to know what’s going on, too.”

“Of course.” Shiro said, grinning. “Leo, this is Blue. You have to show him the ropes around here. He’s not going to be racing, but he’s got an in with Chief and Princess.”

“What if I don’t want to show him the ropes?” Keith cut in, folding his arms.

“Do you want to win the City Race one day?” Shiro snapped back. Keith fell silent. “That’s what I thought.”

“We have confirmation that The Prodigy was the winner of the City Race.” Allura called from the centre of the Canal. A motorcycle roared towards the canal, skidding to a stop beside Allura. He stepped off and removed his helmet, platinum-blonde hair falling from inside and halting at his waist. He was pretty attractive for a guy – less so than Keith, but still conventionally ‘pretty’.

What the fuck? Why did I care how pretty some random guy was? And why did I think Keith was more attractive than him? Fucking Pidge had gotten inside my head with the crush thing; I was actually starting to believe it.

“He’s The Prodigy.” Keith grumbled, nodding at the long-haired racer. “He wins every race.”

“Hey Prodigy!” Shiro shouted angrily. “Where’s Shadow?”

The tall, slender man sauntered towards us, leaving his bike and helmet for his posse to move.

“White Stripe, Leo.” He looked at me. “Who might this be?”

“None of your fucking business.” Keith spat.

“Where’s Shadow?” Shiro repeated. “She couldn’t be that far behind you.”

Prodigy smirked. “Poor Shadow had a little accident outside the hospital. Luckily for her, she could be treated quickly, otherwise she might not have made it.”

“You son of a bitch!” Keith growled, moving to charge at the other man. I grabbed one of his arms, and Shiro jumped in front of him, still facing Prodigy.

“Princess!” Shiro called with confidence. “I’d like to challenge Prodigy to an all or nothing, on behalf of Shadow.”

Allura – Princess – crossed her arms.

“Fine.” She said eventually. “100 meters. First to the bridge and back wins the glory, loser is barred from racing for one year.”

Shiro glanced over his shoulders at us and smiled encouragingly.

“Shiro, you don’t have to. I’ll race him.” Keith said, his voice small. “Shiro-“

But Shiro had already walked away, pulling on his helmet and getting into position. I realised I still had my hands around his lean bicep. I blushed, taking a few steps back.

“Prodigy is gonna do something, I know it.” Keith growled. “I don’t trust this.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. Allura was getting into position, ready to start the race. She raised one hand above her head.

“First Lone Wolf died, now Shadow is injured…” He mumbled. “He has to be doing it on purpose. Now he’s going to do the same to Shiro.”

“K- Leo, I’m sure Sh- White Stripe knows what he’s doing.” I silently cursed; it was hard trying to remember these alter egos.

“You don’t know shit, _Blue_.” Keith spat, turning away from me. After a moment, he sighed. “Sorry. Look, I’m just pissed that Shiro thinks he has to fucking protect us all. He shouldn’t put himself at risk just because one of his friends got hurt.”

“Isn’t that what family is all about?” I replied, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Look, man. I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but I guess we’re kind of stuck together now – for the time being, at least. Shiro is a grown-ass man. Let him deal with his shit, and you focus on yourself. You’re a fucking badass! You just won a fucking drag race, man!”

He turned back to me, his usually disinterested face strangely emotional. He looked as if he were about to say something, when-

Engines roared into life. Shiro and The Prodigy raced away, heading towards the bridge. Just before, Prodigy began to slow down in preparation for the turn, but Shiro carried on.

What happened next happened so quickly that I didn’t know what was going on until it had all happened. First, Shiro attempted to turn quickly at the bridge by braking, but ended up skidding sideways so that his leg was trapped beneath the bike. Then Prodigy came whizzing past, and couldn’t right himself before he went straight over Shiro’s left arm. He didn’t stop until he reached the finish line.

Shiro didn’t move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY FOR HURTING SPACE DAD BUT PLOT


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro gets taken to the hospital. Keith tries to get revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I TAGGED MAJOR CHARACTER INJURY WHAT DID Y'ALL THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN

The world blurred around me as I raced towards where Shiro laid motionless on the ground, his arm bent into an awkward position. His bike was still on top of him, and I could see blood staining the dry ground from a few meters away. There were voices around me, and people near me, but they felt so far away. All I could see was Shiro.

I crouched in front of him. Aside from his damaged arm, his left shoulder and abdomen were fucked up from being scraped across the floor, and though his helmet was still on his head, it was cracked. All I wanted was to stop the pain, to make it better, and I felt fucking useless because all I could do was stare at him. All I felt was guilt, because there were no other feelings inside me to banish it – no sadness, no fear, nothing but wracking guilt that it was _my fault-_

“Keith.” Lance said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Zethrid is going to drive him to the hospital.”

“It’s my fault.” I mumbled, barely audible.

“What? Keith, what are you saying?”

“I said it’s my fault.” I said, a little louder. Lance flinched. “I told him he could get away without wearing his Kevlar…I told him he never has accidents…”

“Keith.” Lance said firmly. “Stop blaming yourself. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s that Prodigy guy.”

Lance was right. Rather than wallowing, I should be fucking up the person who ran over Shiro’s arm.

I stumbled to my feet, casting one glance back at Shiro, who was being picked up and put into Zethrid’s car. I wouldn’t be any help to him now. No, now I had to find fucking Prodigy.

 

~

 

Keith stormed away from Shiro, leaving Zethrid and Ezor to try to move him. I shot them a sympathetic look, then followed Keith, who was making a beeline for where The Prodigy and his posse stood. Allura was a little off to the side, watching us carefully.

“Prodigy, you son of a bitch!” Keith growled, launching himself into the crowd of people. I barely managed to catch his arm before they dived on him in retaliation. He turned back to me and growled, “Hey!”

“Don’t be fucking stupid!” I shouted back. “There’s six of them and one of you!”

“I don’t care, let me go!” He fought against my arm, but I was significantly stronger than him. With one tug, I managed to pull him towards me, seizing both of his shoulders firmly. He wriggled for a moment, then surrendered.

“You’re being an idiot, _Leo_.” I said in a low voice. The last thing I wanted was for those fucking assholes to think Keith was weak.

“Let go.” He mumbled dejectedly. He seemed a few moments away from giving up.

“I won’t let go.” I snapped. “I’m here now, and you’re supposed to be initiating me or whatever. You can’t do that from the hospital.”

“I’ll be fine-“

“No, you won’t – and I think you know that too, which is why you’re trying to throw yourself into a crowd of angry people.” I paused, crouching down a little so that our eyes met; I’d almost forgotten how mesmerising his eyes were, and it took me aback a little. “You being in the hospital too isn’t going to do anything to help Shi- White Stripe.”

He was silent for a moment, then nodded. I released his arms, and he didn’t try anything.

“Alright, let’s…”

“Leo, I hope you don’t think this horrible tragedy was _my_ doing.” Prodigy taunted, coming to the front of his group. He gestured for them to stand down, and they moved back. “It was an accident, plain and simple. Though, if you want to blame someone, I’d blame Stripe himself for trying to make such a sharp turn at such a high speed-“

The arrogant man was interrupted with a fist to the face.

 

~

 

I couldn’t help myself. When that asshole tried to blame Shiro, I went straight for him – and Lance didn’t try to stop me this time. I managed to get him on the floor and pounded my fists in his face, all the while pinning him to the ground. Each punch filled me with adrenaline, but…it didn’t ease the guilt. It didn’t stop me from feeling numb. All it did was bloody my gloves and make Prodigy’s gang antsy. Finally, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“That’s enough.” Lance said firmly.

I rocked back onto my heels and stood up. My knees buckled a little; Lance steadied me with an arm on my back.

“Are you satisfied, _Leo_?” Prodigy laughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“Fuck you, Prodigy.” I spat back. “Blue, let’s go.”

Lance nodded, following me back to my bike. We stood in silence for a minute, both casting sideways glances at the stained concrete, and each other. Lance finally broke the silence.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?” He asked quietly.

“No.” I replied instantly. Lance was right; Shiro didn’t need me there. He wouldn’t want me wallowing, he’d want me to look after myself. “No.” I repeated.

“Okay.” Lance replied. “Do you want to be alone?”

I hesitated a moment.

“No.”

I ran my fingers over the gleaming surface of my helmet, seeing the cracks that had been covering Shiro’s.

“Do you want to come back to my apartment for a while?” Lance said finally. His breathing seemed shallow, and his face was red beneath the mask. It was a cold night; I didn’t blame him.

Did I want to go back to his apartment? I didn’t want to be alone, and I wanted nothing more than to spend time with Lance, but not like this. Still, I had nobody else to turn to – and Lance knew what was happening. I’d have to explain it to someone else. Lance was my best option. I just had to keep telling myself that he was just being kind because Shiro was hurt. Someone like him couldn’t like someone like me.

“Yes.” I said eventually, grabbing my spare helmet from under the seat. It was blue, just like Lance’s Race name. I passed it to him, and pulled on my own.

“O-okay.” He stammered, putting it on. I climbed onto my bike, and he followed, tentatively holding my shoulders.

“You’re gonna want to hold on a bit tighter than that.” I laughed, revving the engine as a warning. His hands instantly jumped to my waist, gripping me firmly. I subdued the lust that raged inside me – for the time being. I wasn't sure how long I could keep myself sane in his presence. “So, where to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two bros, riding on a motorcycle, 0 feet apart cause they're totally gay


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance try to come to terms with a tragedy.

It was incredible – racing through the night on the back of a motorcycle. It was like riding on the back of some great beast, roaring beneath me and moving at such a speed that it felt like flying. I almost forgot the horrible tragedy I’d just witnessed – almost.

Keith picked up the speed when we hit the highway, the bike lurching forward on the tarmac. The world whizzed past us at a hundred miles per hour, blurring into a canvas of grey and black and gold. He was taking the long way to my apartment, I realised.  

I tightened my hands on his waist when we rounded a corner, fearful I might fall off the bike. His body was lean, and since he was smaller than me, it felt a little strange to be clinging to him for protection. He was all I could think about; all that existed in that moment, in that tiny bubble of life, was Us…Keith and I…our bodies so close that it was if we were a singular entity.

We eventually began to slow, and finally pulled up outside my apartment building. I couldn’t move for a minute, my body still whizzing through the air. When I felt that I could stand again, I swung my leg over the bike and stepped away.

“So,” Keith said, removing his helmet. “I guess you’ve never been on the back of a motorcycle before.”

“What?” I said breathlessly, my heart still pounding from the adrenaline. I removed my helmet and passed it back to him. “Oh- yeah, I have. My sister used to ride.” I paused. “ _That_ _specifically_ was not something I’ve ever experienced.”

“What do you mean?”

“The speed.” I breathed. “It felt like…”

Keith leant against the wall outside the entrance. “Like flying?”

“Y-yeah.” I felt my cheeks go red, and fumbled in my pockets for my keys. I hurriedly let us in, and we ascended the stairs to my apartment. I was painfully aware of Keith’s presence behind me, still unsure of why I asked him back to my apartment in the first place. In the moment, I’d wanted to make sure he was okay, but now that he was actually here, I didn’t really know what to do with him. What do you say to someone who just watched their friend get run over?

“Sit anywhere,” I said, pushing open the door to my apartment. “Do you want something to drink?”

“What do you have?” He asked, perching on the edge of the couch.

“Coffee, water,” I opened the refrigerator. “Beer, apparently.”

I didn’t wait for him to answer, taking out two bottles and cracking them open.

“Thanks.” He said, taking the bottle. “Your apartment is nice.”

“You seem surprised.” I replied, at first sipping the beer but progressively taking bigger gulps.

He went silent. I really regretted inviting him back now. I barely knew the guy, and he didn’t seem like the talkative type.

“So,” I said, sitting at the other end of the couch. “You’re a street racer.”

“Yeah.” He mumbled, pursing his lips against the bottle. “You know Princess.”

“I’m as surprised as you are.” I laughed. “It’s a small world.”

“Shiro always said he knew Chief and Princess, but I never believed him. I guess he was telling the truth.”

“What is your relationship with Shiro?” I asked curiously. “I heard from Matt that you live with him.”

“He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.” Keith murmured. “He’s my only friend.” He turned his gaze to me. “How do you know Matt? I didn’t think he really had any friends.”

“I work with his sister, Katie.” I said, lounging back on the couch. “She’s a brat, but a genius, just like her brother.”

Keith fell silent, his eyes trained on a spot on the wall. I couldn’t imagine how he must feel. His only friend, and the person he was closest to, was in the hospital. Based on how his arm looked, it wasn’t good.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked gently.

“Not really.” He said quietly.

“That’s fine. I’m basically a stranger to you, so I get it.” I glanced at the TV. “Want to watch a movie?”

 

~

 

Lance, who had seemed uncomfortable from the get go, flicked through the channels on the TV until he found some old action movie. We watched it in silence for a while, and both went through two bottles of beer each. To me, that was child’s play, but Lance seemed a little worse for wear.

“How many have you had?” I asked when Lance started to sway.

“Two.” He slurred. “Three? No, two.”

“Jeez.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “You’re a lightweight.”

“No!” He cried. “I’m not drunk bro, you’re drunk, okay.”

“Pfft.” I tried to subdue a laugh. “I take back what I said. You are cute when you’re drunk.”

He went red.

“Well you’re cute when you’re not drunk, so there.”

I laughed at him, covering my glowing cheeks with my hands. He was actually a pretty nice guy. I hated how abrupt I had been with him, but it was just a knee-jerk reaction. He really seemed like a guy I could get along with. He was even making me feel better about what had happened. I knew Shiro would be fine; he was always fine, after all.

“So, we’re stuck together for a while, Blue.” I chuckled. “Funny how things work out.”

“Yeah…” He mumbled, pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “Allura gave me this. I think it’s to do with the race stuff.”

“Allura?” I asked. “Your boss?”

“Oops.” He mumbled. “I meant Princess.”

“Ignoring the fact that you just exposed Princess,” I groaned. “What does it say?”

He pulled a small card from the envelope.

“Blue,” He read. “I need you to watch over Leo. I hope we can count on you to keep him safe. Princess.”

“Keep me safe?” I scoffed. “Why does everyone try to protect me?”

Lance leaned over and wrapped his arms around my neck, cradling my head to his chest. I hoped he couldn’t feel my hot cheeks or hear my pounding heart.

“Because you’re smol and precious and a sweet lil bean…” He mumbled sleepily.

“Okay, you’re _drunk_.” I said, pushing him away. Rather than fight back, his body went limp and he passed out, his head landing on my lap.

“Hmm…” He groaned, half-conscious.

“Fuck…” I whispered in an attempt to make sure he didn’t fully wake up.

Lance’s head was on my lap.

_Lance’s head was on my lap._

If he woke up, he’d know…

“Shit.” I hissed, trying to wriggle away from him. His arms twined around my waist. _Damn,_ even when he was passed out he was fucking _strong_.

_Not the time to be thinking about that, Keith!_

I was racking my brains to think of a way to get him off me, when by some miracle, he rolled, falling face-first onto the floor. He scrambled up, disoriented and frustrated. I subdued a laugh, curling my knees up to my chest to hide my embarrassment.

“Keith? What…”

“You passed out.” I mumbled.

“Oh…” He looked down at himself sleepily. “I should probably get some sleep, then.” He began walking towards his room, then turned back. “Oh, do you want to sleep in my bed?”

“What?” I choked. Was he…was he asking me to come to bed with him?! Of course not, he couldn’t be. He was drunk, anyway. I couldn’t take advantage of that.

“If you’re tired, you can have my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Oh,” I laughed breathily. “Erm, no. I’m fine here. Thanks.”

“Okay.” He mumbled. “Wake me up if you need anything.

He stumbled into his bedroom and started peeling his clothes off. Either he didn’t know I could see straight into his room, or he was too drunk to care. I averted my eyes when he started to peel off his underwear, braving a glance back when I heard the light switch off. He was already passed out in his bed, leaving me alone to obsess over what might be happening with Shiro…

 

~

 

I arrived at the hospital a few minutes after Zethrid and Ezor had dropped off Shiro. The waiting room was packed with people, but Shiro was nowhere to be seen.

“Princess!” Ezor shouted, running towards me. “They’ve already taken him in.”

“How is he?” I asked, pulling down my face mask and removing my shades. “Is he going to be okay?”

“They think he’ll live.” She said, grimacing.

“But…?”

“But,” She sighed. “He’ll probably lose his arm.”

I bit my lip. It was good that he was probably going to be okay, but to lose an arm? I couldn't imagine it. He'd never race again. How did he let it happen? And why wasn't Keith here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we'll be going back to Lance's apartment again don't you worry ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith hurries to the hospital to be with Shiro, and runs into an unexpected acquaintance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sooo I previously said it was his LEFT arm that was injured but upon further investigation (i.e. I looked at a picture from the show) I realised it's actually his RIGHT arm that was replaced soooooo I changed it lmao please don't get confused <3

I woke with a start at the sound of a text coming in on my phone. For a moment I forgot where I was, then remembered I was curled up on Lance’s couch. I must have fallen asleep amidst the harrowing thoughts of Shiro that plagued me. I shivered a little; all I had to throw over myself was my jacket, since Lance had passed out without giving me a blanket.

I rubbed my eyes and checked my phone. I didn’t usually bring it out to race night, but for some reason I’d felt like I might need it. It was a text from Ezor.

_E: Where are you?! You need to come to the hospital ASAP._

My gut twisted; something must be wrong for her to text me so urgently. I quickly shot her a text back.

_Me: On my way._

I shrugged my coat on and looked in at Lance, who was still face down on his bed. I debated waking him up, but I didn’t want to bother him. He’d already let me stay at his apartment, so I didn’t want to ask him to come with me and be any more of a burden on him.

I grabbed my helmet from the coffee table and hurried out of the apartment, jumping on the back of my bike and racing towards the hospital.

Since it was so late, the roads were dead quiet, so I made it there quickly. Ezor waited for me outside, smoking a cigarette with Zethrid. I parked and hurried over to them.

“Leo!” Ezor shouted, extinguishing the butt of her cigarette. “You made it.”

“We’re not at the race now, you can call me Keith.” I grumbled, fidgeting. “How is he?”

“Where were you?” Zethrid interrupted, ignoring my question. “If you’re so concerned for Shiro, why weren’t you here?”

“I needed some time, okay!” I snapped, barging past them into the ER waiting room. It was packed, but I couldn’t see Shiro – or Shadow – anywhere.

“Keith?” A voice said from one side. I turned to see Allura – or, as I had discovered, Princess – stood between two vending machines, fiddling with a snack wrapper.

“Allura.” I breathed, hurrying over to her. “Where’s Shiro? Did he have to wait long? Is he going to be okay?”

“They took him in straight away.” She mumbled. “He woke up about half an hour ago, asking for you.”

“That explains why Ezor texted me.” I rubbed my temples. “Where is he? Can I see him?”

She silently pointed down the hall to her right. “Room 16a. They gave him a private room.”

I nodded in thanks and started down the hall, slowing when I reached the door she’d indicated. Through the frosted glass, the room was dim. I reached for the handle, and found my hand shaking. Was I scared? Not of Shiro…nor of what horrific injuries I might see beyond that door. No, I was scared that the person beyond that door was someone I didn’t recognise – or someone who didn’t recognise me. I was scared of the disappointment my only family would feel towards me.

“Keith?” A familiar voice said. I felt someone tap on my shoulder. “Is that you?”

I whirled around, ready to snap at whoever it was, then saw James, the kid I’d tattooed earlier that day. He was wearing scrubs and had his sweepy hair pinned back.

“James.” I breathed. “Do you work here?”

He looked confused, then looked at himself and breathed a forced laugh. “Oh, no. I’m here to see my kid cousin.”

I cocked one eyebrow.

“She’s an in-patient - she likes me to hold her hand when she has surgery.” He explained, his expression calm, but his eyes deceiving. There was a storm brewing inside him. “Cancer.”

“Fuck…” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, man.”

He shook his head. “Don’t apologise. Everyone does that. Apologising isn’t going to cure leukaemia.”

“Right.” I mumbled.

“Hey, you looked like you were going to head into that room. Is someone you know-“

“I’d rather not talk about it.” I snapped. I quickly turned away from him, the layers of guilt piling up. First, I felt guilty for letting Shiro get hurt, then leaving him to run off with Lance, then leaving Lance without saying goodbye…now I felt guilty for snapping at this kid who was only trying to be nice. I was pathetic.

“Listen, I know how difficult it can be to see someone you love in this place.” James began, his voice strained. I couldn’t look at him. “You feel like…it should be you there instead of them. I know, I get it. Try not to beat yourself up too much over it.”

“Thanks for the advice.” I mumbled. “I…uh…I’m…”

“It’s fine.” He interrupted. “You don’t have to say anything.” I heard him lower himself onto one of the chairs on the other side of the corridor.

I took a deep breath, once again raising my hand to the doorknob. I froze a mere inch away, and took a step back, my whole body shaking.

“How do you deal with it?” I choked, spinning to where James sat.

He smiled sympathetically. “First, you need to stop blaming yourself.”

“How did you…?”

“I saw them wheel him in there.” He answered, hunching over so his elbows rested on his knees. He was still forcing out an air of calm, but his eyes were dark. “Looked like a bad accident. He- well, he didn’t look great.”

“You saw…?” I shook my head. “Was he…okay?”

“You have to see for yourself.” He said softly. “But before you can do that, you need to lift the blame from yourself. I don’t know if you caused the accident, or if you were just a bystander…I don’t know what happened, but it’s clearly got you worked up.”

“I made some mistakes…” I began, my head drooping so that my hair fell around my face. I was reminded of Lance’s taunts about my mullet, and found myself smiling through the pain. “I made mistakes, but ultimately it wasn’t my fault.”

Shiro would have raced Prodigy regardless of what I’d said, and his arm still would have been injured either way. Hurting Prodigy didn’t help, so I couldn’t think of what I could do to stop feeling guilty. Lance’s words rang through my head – ‘ _Stop blaming yourself.’_

“There was nothing I could do.” I choked. “I felt…powerless.”

James put a comforting hand on my shoulder, staring into me with his hazy grey eyes.

“He doesn’t blame you, I promise.” He tilted his head. “If he does, you can punch me.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” I laughed. My eyes were burning, but I didn’t feel so guilty anymore. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood up, reaching out for the door handle. This time, I met the cold metal, and slowly opened the door.

Inside the dark room, the sound of a heart monitor punctuated the silence. Shiro’s bloody clothes and cracked helmet were tidily piled on a chair in the corner. Another chair had been placed beside the bed, where Shiro laid, motionless aside from the rise and fall of his chest. I slowly lowered myself into the chair, completely unsure of what I should do. I just…stared at him for a moment, looking him over. He had bandages covering most of his top half - from what I could see beneath the thin sheet covering him, at least. His face was a little bruised, but he didn’t seem to have had a bad head injury.

I reached up for where his right hand should be beneath the blanket, but found I went straight through to the bed. My heart stopped for a second as I pulled back, then tentatively lifted up the blanket to peer beneath.

His right arm was gone.

Well, mostly, anyway. The stub was wrapped in a clean bandage, as was most of his abdomen.

I squeezed my eyes closed and let my head drop to the edge of the bed. After a moment, I felt a hand on my head, ruffling my hair.

“I really made a mess of things this time, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hospital angst is almost over I p r o m i s e
> 
> then it's just rival angst...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets the others at the hospital.

I woke up the following morning with a raging hangover, and fifteen missed calls from Allura.

“What…” I groaned, rolling over so that I could peer out of my open bedroom door. My apartment was empty; Keith was nowhere to be seen.

I checked my phone again, and found I also had some texts from Allura.

_Allura: Lance, where are you?_

_Allura: I saw you leave with Keith. Shiro is asking for him._

_Allura: We’re worried, please let us know you’re both safe._

_Allura: Keith just turned up at the hospital. What happened?_

_Allura: Call me when you can._

I quickly dialled Allura’s number and waited while it rang through.

“Hello?” She answered, her voice strained. She sounded exhausted.

“Allura, you sound awful.” I croaked.

“You don’t sound much better.” She quipped. “I’ve been up all night waiting for more information about Shadow.”

“How is Shiro?” I asked, sitting up. “Is Keith with him?”

“Shiro will pull through. They just took him in for another surgery, so Keith is pacing back and forth in front of me.” I heard the sound of the phone moving away. When she continued, her voice sounded distant. “Hey, stop it. You’re making me motion sick.”

“Have some fucking sympathy okay, _Princess_?” He shot back.

“Hey, Allura!” I said loudly into the phone. It rustled.

“What?” She replied, irritation tingeing her voice.

“Tell Mullet-head to say goodbye next time.” I teased, swinging my feet down from the bed and attempting to stand. Man, I’d really done a number on myself.

“So he was with you last night?” She queried. “He didn’t say anything about that. Why didn’t you come to the hospital with him?”

“Well he left while I was asleep.” I walked through to the kitchen, gathering the empty bottles from the counter and throwing them into the recycling. “I would have taken any opportunity to be with you in your time of need, My Princess.”

“Ew, stop.” She grumbled.

“Is that Lance?” I heard Keith say from the other side. Then loud footsteps retreating.

“What just happened?” I asked.

“He just went to get something from the vending machines – said it was urgent.”

_Idiot_ , I thought. He was clearing running away from having to talk to Allura about me. An idiot, but a really cute idiot.

“I’ll come down as soon as I can.” I said, rifling through my drawers until I found a blue sweater. Blue – damn, the name would haunt me forever. Blue was my favourite colour. “Are you still in the ER?”

“No, I’ll text you the department.” She said, fumbling with her phone. “I’ll try to wrangle Keith.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

The phone clicked off. I wasted no time in changing into some clean clothes, and hurried from my apartment. Luckily, I’d walked to the canal the night before, so my car was sitting in the parking lot, instead of in some shitty part of town.

When I arrived at the department Allura had texted, I saw Allura immediately. She was sat with the two girls who had taken Shiro to the hospital the night before – Zethrid and Ezor. They all seemed to be upset over something. I hoped it wasn’t Shiro.

I caught myself worrying about this person I barely knew, and had to take a moment to process. The only people I’d ever worried about other than my family were my work family. Now, I seemed to have found a new family – my race night family. I still didn’t know why Allura had recruited me of all people, especially to handle someone like Keith. I could barely keep it together around the guy, and he pissed me off beyond reason.

Still, it _had_ felt somewhat natural taking care of him the night before. I didn’t remember all of it, but I remembered feeling good about him being there.

I hurried over to Allura and the others. Allura stood up and hugged me tightly, her cheeks a little damp.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, looking between Allura and the other two girls. “Is it Shiro?”

Allura shook her head, wiping her cheek.

“It’s Acxa – Shadow.” Allura sniffled. “We just heard that she’s been moved to the ICU.”

Zethrid grimaced. “Whatever Prodigy did to her – that _bastard_ – it was enough to almost kill her.”

“Shit…” I hissed. “Will she…pull through?”

“We don’t know yet.” Ezor furrowed her brow. Her lip quivered a little.

“Surely they’ve told you what’s going on?” I asked.

They all shook their heads in unison.

“But…doesn’t she have any family? Surely they’ve been told.”

“She’s an orphan.” Ezor sobbed. “We all are.”

The group fell silent. I scrambled in my mind for a solution, when I remembered-

“My sister is a nurse here.” I exclaimed. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

I hurried over to the reception desk, and asked for Veronica. I knew she had to be on shift today, since she’d turned down my invitation to lunch. She’d be able to help me find out what was going on.

The receptionist paged Veronica then sent me back to the waiting area. Twenty minutes later, my disgruntled sister appeared from one of the corridors.

“Lance McClain what the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing, getting Lydia to page me-“

“Sis, this really isn’t a great time for a lecture.”

“Oh, I’ll lecture you alright.” She growled. “Dios mío, you think you can just come to my work and take me away from my patients?! I have a fucking _job_ to do, Lance-“

“Our friend is in the ICU.” I interrupted. I pointed back at Allura and the others. Keith had appeared out of nowhere, and was hanging a little behind. I ignored him for the time being. “They haven’t been told if she’s okay…they’re worried.”

“I’m sorry Lance, you know I cant divulge patient information to non-family.”

“She doesn’t _have_ any family. Those people,” I gestured back again. “Those people are her only family. Please, Veronica.”

My sister hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Fine.” She sighed. “If I lose my nursing license for this, you can forget that trip to Barbados I promised.”

“Thank you!” I cried, wrapping my arms around her.

“Give me a little while to find out. What’s the patient’s name?”

“Acxa, I think. I don’t know her surname.”

“Right.” She nodded, and hurried away. I returned to the seating area, trying to avoid Keith’s judgemental gaze at all costs. It was nice to see that the sadness was gone from his face, but I somewhat missed the thoughtful gaze he’d had the night before.

“So?” Ezor asked, wiping her cheeks.

“She’s going to see what she can do.” I announced. “If I know my sister, she’ll go above and beyond to find out everything she can.”

“Thank you.” Zethrid said, wrapping her arm over Ezor’s shoulders. “You have no idea what this means to us.”

“It’s no big deal, really. I know we just met last night but going through something like that makes you care more about someone.” I said. I found my eyes wandering to Keith. “I’ll do anything for the people I care about.”

Pidge’s voice rang in my ears again.

_The cute tattooed guy you have a crush on._

I was starting to think that maybe she was right.

Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is lancey boy finally coming to his senses?
> 
> tune in next time for more: gays on motorcycles ***
> 
> ***now with 50% more gays


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith tries to deny his feelings for Lance.

I shoved my hands into my pockets as I paced back and forth in front of Shiro’s room. They’d taken him for another operation a little while ago, and after I’d heard Allura tell Lance to come to the hospital, I knew I’d need to get away. I was barely keeping my emotions down, and I knew seeing Lance would only dredge them back up.

I remembered back to early that morning, when I’d first walked into Shiro’s room.

“I really made a mess of things this time, huh?” He’d said, and ruffled my hair. I’d met his bloodshot eyes, and tears pricked my eyes. I managed to hold off the tears until he drifted back to sleep, and cried into the place his right hand should have been. I barely got the chance to talk to him again before they took him in for his operation, so I was anxious for him to return.

I checked my phone, which was on critical battery – I knew Lance could be turning up any minute, and I wouldn’t…couldn’t face him yet. I wasn’t in the right state of mind to talk about anything, and he had an uncanny ability to make me want to open up.

“Fucking Lance…” I mumbled, crossing my arms and sitting down in the chairs opposite Shiro’s room. Fucking…that was what I _wanted_ to do with Lance. I silently cursed at myself for thinking about that when Shiro was unconscious on an operating table. He needed me to be strong for both of us, not fantasising over a hot guy I barely knew.

A few moments after I’d sat down, I felt someone sit beside me.

“How are you feeling, man?” James asked.

I looked to my side; he was no longer wearing scrubs, and instead wore a t-shirt and jeans. His tattoo was visible – it looked like he was taking care of it pretty well.

“Oh,” He said, catching me looking at the tattoo. “I’m treating it like you told me to.”

“Yeah, it looks great.” I mumbled, a little less enthusiastically than I’d intended.

“Did you get to talk to your friend?”

I shook my head. “Barely. He was on so many drugs that he couldn’t stay awake for long.”

“I figured.” He sighed.

“How’s your cousin?”

“She’s awake. We don’t know if the surgery was successful yet, but I have to leave anyway.” He glanced down at his hands, where he held his phone. “I know I’m probably just a client to you, but if you ever need someone to talk to about this stuff, I probably understand better than anyone.”

“Thanks, that’s kind.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, intending to ask for his number, but found my phone had died. “Shit.” I mumbled. Now I’d have to go find Allura and the others to see how Acxa was doing. “Well, this is awkward.”

“What?” He laughed.

“I was going to ask for your number, but my phone just died.” I shook my head. “Seriously, everything is just going wrong for me today.”

He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a marker.

“I always carry a pen.” He mumbled. “Do you mind?”

“N-no, go ahead.” I stammered, offering him my wrist. He wrote down his number, his hands warm against my skin, then shoved the pen back into his bag and stood up.

“I hope everything goes well with your friend.”

“Thanks.” I breathed. “And thanks for talking to me.”

He smiled, inclining his head to me before walking off, slinging his bag over his shoulder and shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

I sighed back into the chair for a moment, then stood up. It was time to brave the waiting room again. I slowed my pace just before I rounded the corner to the main waiting area, where Allura, Zethrid and Ezor sat together. Lance was a little off to the side, talking to a nurse.

“What’s going on?” I asked, coming up behind them.

Allura whipped to face me. “Where have you been? We were worried.”

“Jeez, you guys need to stop worrying about me.” I grumbled. “I just went to Shiro’s room to see if they’d brought him back yet. No dice, unfortunately.”

“What’s that on your arm?” Ezor chimed in, pointing at the phone number on my wrist.

I quickly pulled my jacket sleeve down, feeling my cheeks turn red. “Nothing.”

“Here he comes.” Zethrid said, nodding to where Lance was walking towards us. I deliberately avoided looking at him.

“So?” Ezor asked, wiping her cheeks.

“She’s going to see what she can do.” Lance announced, seeming a little uncomfortable. He was definitely hungover. “If I know my sister, she’ll go above and beyond to find out everything she can.”

“Thank you.” Zethrid said, wrapping her arm over Ezor’s shoulders. “You have no idea what this means to us.”

“It’s no big deal, really. I know we just met last night but going through something like that makes you care more about someone.” He looked at me deliberately, not giving me a chance to look away. “I’ll do anything for the people I care about.”

I felt my breath catch in my throat, but forced it down, turning away from them. I was _not_ dealing with this shit right now. I needed to focus on Shiro. Maybe I could talk to him properly once everything calmed down – not that there was really much to talk about. He was obviously straight, and saw me as nothing more than a ‘sweet lil bean’, as he’d so eloquently put.

~

I managed to avoid talking to Lance until Shiro came out of surgery, at which point I was allowed to visit him in his room. He wasn’t conscious until a while later, but it was reassuring to see him, at least. When he eventually came to, he frowned at me.

“Keith…” He croaked, trying to sit up.

“No, you need to lie down.” I snapped. “You need to rest.”

“What about you?” He mumbled, allowing himself to fall back against the bed. I’d never seen Shiro so weak before. “You look like you haven’t slept at all.”

“I slept.” I said. It wasn’t a lie; I had managed to have a nap at Lance’s apartment. “You’re the one who nearly died.”

“Most of me survived, at least.” He groaned, looking down at what remained of his right arm. “I really did a number on myself, huh?”

“More like Prodigy did a number on you.” I growled.

“Keith, please tell me you didn’t…”

“I didn’t _kill_ him.” I assured him. “I just…beat him up a bit.”

Shiro looked over me, presumably checking for injuries.

“You don’t look like you got into a fight.”

“Lance stopped me before it got too far.” I sighed. “I…I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you before. I was…I just needed some time. I didn’t want to see you like this, I was selfish…”

“Keith, it’s fine.” Shiro assured me. “All that matters is that you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I lied. How could I be okay after everything that had happened.

“Has anyone heard what happened to Acxa?”

“Last I heard, she’s in the ICU. Lance’s sister went to see if she can get any more information.”

“Right, since she doesn’t have any immediate family.” Shiro shifted in the bed so that he was sat up a little – not enough that I could protest, but enough that he wasn’t laying flat against the bed. “Speaking of which…how did _you_ managed to see me?”

“I lied and said I’m your brother.” I flapped my hand. “They took one look at us and assumed I was telling the truth.”

“I’m glad you did.” He mumbled. “Now, go home.”

“What?! Shiro, I’m not leaving you here-“

“Go _home_.” He repeated. “I’ll be fine here.”

“I don’t want to.” I snapped. “I want to stay here.”

“Keith, you can visit me again tomorrow. Chances are, I’ll be coming out of the hospital soon anyway.”

“But your arm…”

“Keith.” He repeated. “Please.”

I thought of continuing the argument for a moment, then realised it would be no good. Shiro was just as stubborn as I was, so it would lead nowhere.

“Fine.” I sighed dejectedly, standing up from the chair. “But I’m coming back first thing tomorrow.”

“I know.” He smiled, blinking sleepily. “And Keith?”

I paused.

“Love you, bro.”

I bit the inside of my mouth, shoving my emotions down deep. _Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…_

“Love you too, man.”

I turned away from him before he could catch the tears welling up in my eyes, leaning back against the door once I was outside. I gave myself a minute to get composed, then hurried to the waiting room to tell everyone I was leaving.

Allura was sat with Lance, while Zethrid and Ezor stood a little away, talking to the nurse Lance had said was his sister. I clenched my fists so that my nails dug into my palms, and marched over to them.

“Shiro told me to go home and rest.” I announced stiffly, avoiding looking at Lance. “I’ll be back in the morning. Please, text me if anything changes.”

“Of course.” Allura smiled sympathetically. “Go get some rest.”

I nodded, and walked away, ignoring Lance’s gaze trailing me. I thought I’d made it out safe when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I’d barely managed to dig out my keys from my jacket pocket, so escape was out of the question.

“Keith, wait.” Lance said, turning me to face him. _Fuck_ , he was strong. Something about his overpowering strength made him seem even hotter to me, which was the last thing I needed after barely an hour’s sleep.

“What?” I snapped. “I’m really tired.”

“I know.” He mumbled. “I just…wanted to make sure everything is okay with you.”

“Ugh.” I shrugged his hand off. “Look, I don’t care what Allura told you. I do not need a babysitter. So piss off back to flirting with your boss and _leave me alone._ ”

He didn’t respond, and instead allowed me to pull on my helmet and drive away without another word. _Good_ , I thought. I didn’t need him; I didn’t need anyone. I might _want_ him. I might have _wanted_ him to chase after me, and wrap his stupid arms around me, and…do other things to me – but I didn’t _need_ him.

At least, that was what I told myself.

 

~

 

As I watched Keith drive away, fighting the urge to chase after him, I was sure of it.

“I’m fucking bisexual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith: *panics in gay*
> 
> ...
> 
> Lance: *panics in bisexual*


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith avoids Lance, and makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * * * TW - non-consensual kiss * * *

I woke from a nightmare, gasping and covered in sweat. I patted myself down, checking my body for marks, and when I was sure I was fine, I swung my legs from the bed and padded into the kitchen, rubbing my eyes.

I’d been having nightmares about the accident ever since that night. Shiro had come back from the hospital about a week ago, and was adjusting to his life with a prosthetic arm, but I still hadn’t come to terms with it at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the accident unfurl – only with me in Shiro’s place.

I shook off the lingering terror and poured myself some whiskey, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Race night was coming up in a week, and I still hadn’t spoken to Lance about me showing him the ropes. He’d texted me a few times, and I even caught him hanging outside the café one day when I popped for a coffee, but I managed to hide until he left. Ever since I’d snapped at him outside the hospital, I’d found it harder and harder to think about talking to him. He said he wanted to talk, but I just knew he hated me for what I’d said. I was a jerk.

As if by some cosmic convenience, my phone buzzed with another text from Lance.

_Lance: Are you avoiding me? Please Keith I just want to talk._

I sighed, fingering the reply button thoughtfully. It had been two weeks since we’d last spoken, and in that time he’d texted me almost every day. If he didn’t know I was avoiding him by now, he was an idiot. A cute idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

I groaned and covered my face with my free hand. No, I couldn’t let our first conversation be over text. I knew I’d see him sooner or later, so I’d deal with him when that time came.

I exited out of my texts with Lance, pausing for a moment when I saw James’ name in my contacts. I’d been so stressed out about Lance and Shiro that I’d never gotten around to texting him. Better late than never, I suppose.

_Me: Hey man, it’s Keith. Sorry it took so long to give you my number lol_

He replied almost instantly.

_James: No worries! Hope everything is okay. How is your friend?_

_Me: Shiro is doing pretty well. He’s back home and recovering._

_James: I wondered why I hadn’t seen you at the hospital for a while. How are you?_

_Me: Doing better, thanks._

_James: Good_.

He was typing for a minute, then the icon disappeared. A few seconds later, another text appeared.

_James: So…weird question. You can tell me to fuck off if I’m in the wrong but…would you wanna get a drink together at some point?_

James was asking me out? I stopped to think for a moment. He was a nice enough guy, but he didn’t make me feel the way Lance did. Still, it might be a good chance to get over Lance…

_Me: I’m pretty busy, but I’ll check my schedule._

_James: Cool. By the way, what are you doing up so late?_

_Me: I should ask you the same question._

_James: Work stuff._

_Me: Ooh, mysterious._

He sent me a photo of a dark overpass, where a dog was huddled beside a cardboard box.

_James: I work for an animal rescue centre. Just got a callout that this little guy was here._

_Me: Poor thing. The dog – not you._

He sent another photo, this time of the dog in the back of a car. From what I could see, it was a long-haired, black Alsatian or sheepdog. It looked terrified.

_James: I cant get into the shelter tonight so I’m trying to find somewhere he can stay temporarily. My apartment doesn’t allow pets._

I hesitated. I knew Shiro would probably protest, but if it was only for a night…

_Me: We can take him for the night. Bring him to the tattoo studio – we live upstairs._

I sent off the text then shrugged on my jacket, hurrying out of the apartment to wait by the entrance to the studio. In a matter of minutes, I’d managed to get myself a date and a dog.

James arrived quickly, parking on the road and coming to talk to me before getting the dog out of the car.

“Hey, thanks for doing this. You’re a real life-saver.” He said, rubbing his hands together from the cold. “Just to warn you, he’s a bit flighty. I think there was some abuse before he was abandoned based on…well, I’ll show you.”

He took me over to the car and opened the back door. The dog was huddled close to the ground, shaking slightly. I immediately realised what James meant. The poor thing was not black, but had been _dyed blue_ , and was covered in scars and patches of missing fur.

“I think he was used as a bait dog.” James said grimly. “I’ve seen too many of them to count in this area.”

“Dog-fighting is disgusting.” I spat. I knelt down beside the door and put my hand towards the dog slowly. He was cautious at first, but then sniffed me, gazing at me with helpless eyes. “We’ll take care of you, buddy. I promise.”

“Here,” James said, handing me a collar. “It seems like he trusts you, so you can do it.”

I tentatively moved the collar towards the dog. He flinched back, whimpering.

“Nope. Okay, that’s fine, bud.” I said softly to the dog, tossing the collar behind me. “How about I carry you, huh?”

As if he understood what I’d said, the dog carefully got to his feet and moved towards me, sniffing again before putting his front paws onto my shoulder. I scooped him out of the car, wincing at how heavy he was, and quickly carried him round to the back door, where I placed him just inside. I crouched down next to him for a moment.

“I’ll be right back.” I assured him. He blinked in understanding, and I closed the back door so he wouldn’t bolt, turning to face James.

“You really have a way with dogs.” He mused. “I’ve never seen a new rescue take to someone so quickly.”

“We understand each other.” I said softly, pressing my hand against the door.

James went quiet for a moment, then stepped towards me.

“Who hurt you, Keith?” He furrowed his brow.

“What?”

He took another step forward.

“Ever since I met you, you’ve been pretending to be okay but I can see through it. So, I’ll ask again: who hurt you?”

“Look, man. I’m tired, I really don’t want to go into something like that.”

“Why do you keep pushing me away?”

“What? I-“

He interrupted me by pushing me against the door, and pressing his lips into mine. All I could think was it was _wrong,_ and Lance kept appearing in my mind _._ I tried to get away, but he was strong – still not as strong as Lance, but strong enough to keep me in place. I eventually managed to push him back, spluttering and panting from the panic.

“Ever hear of consent?” I snapped. “Shit, man.”

“I…I…” He stammered. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

He hurried away. I heard the sound of his car door closing, and his engine as he drove away. I stayed pressed against the door for a moment, trying to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. James…had kissed me. Sure, it was out of the blue and I wasn’t prepared, but…he’d kissed me. Yet somehow…my mind had gone back to Lance.

I let myself back into the stairwell and crouched down by the dog, ruffling his neck fur. His yellow eyes were compassionate.

“So, what shall we call you?”

He looked at me calmly, then nuzzled my arm, pushing up the sleeve to reveal the cosmic wolf Shiro had tattooed on me a few weeks after we met.

I smiled, rubbing my forehead between his ears.

“Cosmo it is.” I stood up, gesturing for him to follow me. “Come on, let’s go tell Shiro the good news.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OF COURSE I HAD TO INCLUDE THE BEST BOY


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance goes to extreme measures to talk to Keith.

A few weeks passed after the accident. I tried to get in touch with Keith, but he hadn’t spoken to me since he told me to leave him alone. Admittedly, I’d been pretty hurt by the whole situation, especially after accepting that I probably had some kind of feelings for the guy, but I just wanted to check in. I knew that was probably what he’d been trying to _stop_ with his outburst, but still. I had a burning desire to protect him, and keep him safe.

Everyone at work noticed that something was up, especially Hunk and Pidge, who’d been badgering me every day. I eventually caved.

“C’mon, Lance.” Hunk whined, sitting down in one of the chairs in the break room. Pidge stood next to him, her hand on his shoulder. “We want to help. You can’t bottle up your feelings forever.”

“I know it has something to do with Keith.” Pidge raised her eyebrows. “Did he reject you?”

“No!” I shouted. “Yes? I don’t know.” I groaned, letting my head drop into my hands. “He told me to leave him alone after- never mind.”

“What?” Pidge pressed. “You can’t just stop there! We need to know more!”

“If he doesn’t want to talk, we can’t force him.” Hunk said, putting his arm around Pidge. She was pretty small; even stood up she wasn’t much taller than Hunk sat down.

“I know.” She sighed, perching on his lap and putting her arm around his neck.

“Dios mío, get a room.” I groaned. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you two have gotten clingier.”

“You’re just jealous.” Pidge poked her tongue out at me. “Your crush rejected you.”

“He didn’t reject me!” I argued. “He was just upset because…his friend was in an accident. The only reason he was so pissed off was because I stopped him from beating the crap out of the guy who caused the accident.”

“Wait, which friend?” Pidge asked. “Not Shiro?”

I nodded.

“Man,” Hunk whispered. “Well, it makes sense that he was upset then. Have you spoken to him since? How is he doing?”

“He won’t return my texts.” I mumbled. “I even tried hanging around by the café, hoping he’d pop by, but he never showed up. It’s been two weeks – I’m done trying.”

“Why don’t you go into his work?” Hunk asked.

“The studio has been temporarily closed since Shiro’s accident.” I sighed. “Otherwise that would have been my first stop.”

Pidge, who had pulled out her phone, showed me a social media post by the tattoo studio.

“Reopening…tomorrow?” I read. I shook my head. “No, it would be unprofessional to just turn up to his work for no reason.”

“Then give yourself a reason.” She purred, her eyes devious. “Get a tattoo.”

“No. Nope. Not happening.” I slapped my hands on my legs.

“Why not? You said you always wanted a tattoo. Plus, it gives you a chance to talk to Keith.”

“He’ll refuse to see me! I don’t even have an appointment!”

“I can help with that.” Hunk chimed in, grabbing his phone from the table. He typed something in then sent it off, smiling at me. “I just emailed the studio and requested an appointment tomorrow. I debated getting a tattoo for a while so I have the email saved.”

“They’ll see it’s me and refuse.”

His phone buzzed.

“Nope,” Hunk grinned. “I booked it under McClain, not Lance. You’re booked in for 10am tomorrow.”

“Shit.” I hissed. “Fuck. Bastard. How did I let you guys rope me into this?”

“Lance.” Allura said from the doorway. “Please control your language at work.”

“Sorry Allura.” I mumbled, refusing to meet her eye. We hadn’t spoken much since the hospital, other than general workplace niceties. She seemed to feel guilty for roping me into the whole ordeal, and I was still feeling off about what Keith had said before he left – ‘piss off back to flirting with your boss’. I’d realised then that Allura had never been okay with my flirting, and I didn’t really know how to approach her afterwards. I hoped it was all just tension settling after the accident, but something told me Allura would always feel guilty for getting me involved in Race Night.

The next one was only a week away, and I still didn’t know if I was going back or not. If Keith didn’t speak to me before then, I knew I’d have to give him some space, but then I’d be letting down Allura. She wanted me to look after him, after all.

I sighed. I knew I had to make some kind of play. I couldn’t keep texting Keith every night and hope he’d reply. No, I had to _do something._

“Fine.” I sighed. “I’ll get a tattoo.”

“What?” Allura broke in. “Why?”

“So he can talk to _Keith_ …” Pidge teased.

Allura frowned; I ignored her. Her guilt wouldn’t stop me from chasing after the guy I liked.

_Huh,_ I thought. _I’ve never actually accepted it until now._

~

My bravado from the day before had vanished by the time I arrived at the tattoo studio. I couldn’t see anyone inside apart from a receptionist, who was organising paperwork and clipboards at the desk. I took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

“Hi!” The receptionist said. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Y-yeah.” I said, looking around anxiously. “McClain.”

He looked through the computer, smiling when he found me. He passed me a clipboard with some forms, and a pen.

“Alright, fill this out. I’ll let Keith know you’re here.”

_Keith was doing the tattoo?_ I hadn’t thought this through. I didn’t know how long I could sit with Keith’s stupidly soft hands touching me, and his judgemental gaze. I was _fucked…_

I sat down on the couch in the waiting room, and with shaking hands I filled out the form. Name, age, allergies…then I came to the design. I still hadn’t planned what I was getting – I _really_ hadn’t through this through.

“Erm, you know what?” I called back, trying to get the receptionist’s attention. He appeared from the back room. “I think I’m gonna-“

I stopped immediately when Keith followed the receptionist out, scraping his mullet back into a hairband. He stopped when he noticed me, his eyes furious.

“I…erm…” I stammered. “I think…”

“Adam, help him choose a design, then send him through.” Keith said flatly, disappearing back through the doorway. The room was filled with awkward silence.

“Alright.” Adam said eventually, picking up a folder full of designs. He sat beside me on the couch, showing me all the more masculine designs.

“Do you have any lions?” I asked quietly, flicking through.

Adam smiled. “Sure. Here,” He flipped to a page filled with small lions in various poses. I didn’t even have to look properly – the one I wanted jumped out at me immediately. It was two lions, one leaping and the other standing proud. Their tails were intertwined, and the leaping one was slightly smaller.

“That one.” I said, pointing.

“With colour, too?”

I nodded.

Adam pulled out the sheet from the portfolio and took me through to the back room. It smelled sterile, but otherwise it was relatively welcoming. The beast on the stool, on the other hand, was frightening to say the least. Keith looked _pissed_.

“Sit down.” He snapped at me, taking the sheet from Adam, who pointed to the design. Keith raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything until Adam had left the room and closed the door firmly.

“Keith, I…”

“Don’t.” He snapped, tracing the design onto another sheet of paper. “You’re here for a tattoo, so I’ll give you a tattoo.”

“Right.” I mumbled.

When he was done tracing, he looked at the design again. “You always did like the lions.”

“Yeah…” I breathed. “Lions are awesome.”

“Are you having colour?”

“Erm…” I hadn’t thought about it. “Yes.” I pointed at the leaping one. “I want him to be red, and the other one to be blue.”

He looked between the design and me, but didn’t say a word.

“Okay. Where are you having it?”

“Um…” I gripped the hand rests on the chair. I _really really_ hadn’t thought this through.

“Look, Lance.” Keith sighed, putting down the design on his tray. “I know you’re only here to talk. Make this easier for both of us and just walk out before you make a mistake.”

“Don’t assume shit about me.” I retorted. “Sure, I came here with the intention of talking to you, because I’m fucking _worried_ about you, and I _miss you._ That doesn’t mean I don’t want this tattoo. I just haven’t decided where I want it yet.”

Keith went silent for a minute, then pointed to my chest, just over my heart. He didn’t touch me, but I still felt a shock there.

“Your chest is easy to hide, if you don’t like it.”

“Right.” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks go red. “Whatever you think will look good.”

“Okay.” He snapped on a pair of gloves and started getting the ink prepared. After a few minutes, he looked back at me questioningly. “Take your shirt off, then.”

Filled with embarrassment, I peeled off my baseball shirt. 

"I never thought the first time I'd be taking my clothes off in front of you would be to get a tattoo." I joked.

"Don't make it weird." He grumbled, not looking at me.

This was really happening.

Keith was giving me a tattoo. 

_Keith was talking to me again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y E S T H I S A C T U A L L Y I S H A P P E N I N G


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith tries to handle his emotions while he gives Lance a tattoo.

It was my first day back at work since the accident. I’d expected a slow day of walk-in appointments, so I was surprised when Adam told me we had a last minute booking the day before. I’d made sure to get up early so that I could hang out with Shiro and Cosmo for a bit before the appointment.

In the two days since I’d found him, Cosmo had become increasingly more attached to me. Shiro had been hesitant at first, but once he saw how fluffy and sweet my boy was, he knew we had to keep him. I hadn’t told James yet – I was still reeling from his forceful kiss that night. He’d kept his distance, too. I was glad of it, but I still felt a bit disappointed. He was a good guy, he just didn’t seem to have any boundaries.

When it was time for the appointment, I said goodbye to Cosmo, who whined and tried to follow me down the stairs. I shut him in with Shiro, who only laughed and told me, ‘Your dog, your responsibility’.

I almost walked out of the studio when I saw the client.

What the _fuck_ was Lance doing here? I’d been ignoring him for two weeks, surely he understood that I didn’t want to talk? Well, I _did_ want to talk, but my pride wouldn’t allow it.

“Fuck,” I hissed, when I heard them coming back through. I fought through the emotions that were swirling inside me, eventually having to turn away to stop him from seeing my flushed cheeks. He’d decided to have his tattoo on his chest – his _chest_ of all places. Sure, I’d suggested it, but _seriously?_ I was expected to touch and look at his fucking _gorgeous_ body all morning? _Without_ getting turned on? It was a travesty, that’s what it was.

I quickly turned back to look at him. He still had his shirt on, and his cheeks were red – from nerves, probably.

“Take your shirt off, then.” I mumbled, quickly looking away.

"I never thought the first time I'd be taking my clothes off in front of you would be to get a tattoo." He teased awkwardly while I heard the rustling of him removing his shirt.

"Don't make it weird." I managed to grumble. _Fuck_ , next time I turned I’d have to cope with seeing his muscly chest and broad shoulders. All that manual work he did as a mechanic really did a body _good_.

“How long do you expect this will take?” He asked.

I turned back with the gun in my hand, sliding my rolling worktop nearer to the chair. I almost dropped the gun when I saw him shirtless for the first time. _Muscles,_ I thought. _So many muscles oh my-_

“A few hours, probably.” I barked. I put the gun down on the tray and picked up a disposable razor. “I have to shave the area first.”

“O-okay.” He mumbled. He looked tense.

“Just…relax.” I tried to say calmly, half angling it towards myself. I quickly shaved the area, making sure I didn’t touch him, then picked up the stencil glue and a tissue. “This is to help the stencil stick.” I said, biting my lip as I reached over to his bare chest, wiping the area with the liquid. I tried not to think about how close my hand was to his chest.

I held the stencil paper over his chest.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

He nodded.

I pressed my lips together and applied the stencil, peeling it back after a second. Two lions – one of my favourite designs. I’d originally intended for one to be male and one to be female, but something had possessed me to have them both as males – and now Lance was getting it tattooed on his chest.

_Fuck,_ I thought. The room was silent while I waited for the stencil to dry. I tried to look everywhere but at Lance.

“So, erm…” Lance began. “How is Shiro?”

“He’s doing okay.” I mumbled. “He’s…adjusting.”

“Good, good.” Lance replied awkwardly. “So…am I not allowed to talk about what happened? Or…”

I bit my lip, spinning on the stool to start setting up the gun.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I said eventually. “I was a jerk, I hurt you, that’s it.”

I had no idea what was coming out of my mouth. Lance always made me like that, like there was nothing I couldn’t say to him.

“You weren’t a jerk.” He said quietly. “You were hurting, I get that.”

I didn’t respond, instead lining up my cups of ink.

“Keith, I don’t expect you to open up to me. I just want to know that you’re okay.”

“Are you ready to start?” I changed the subject, moving my gun closer to his chest.

“Oh- um, yeah.” He mumbled, tensing his shoulders. “I-is it going to hurt?”

“It’s like a cat scratch.” I replied. “Relax, and it won’t hurt as much. Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” He said, letting his shoulders drop.

I started outlining the first lion; Lance had his eyes squeezed shut, and was gripping the armrests so tight that his knuckles went white. I tried to suppress a laugh at his obvious discomfort, and found myself forgetting about having my hands pressed into his chest – for a moment, at least.

About an hour into the tattoo, Lance started to look a little pale.

“Do you want to stop for ten minutes?” I asked, moving the gun away from him.

“Hmm?” He chirped. His voice was deeper than usual – probably as an attempt to hide the pain he was in. Either way, it really turned me on. “Oh, um, no. Let’s carry on.”

“We’ve just finished the line work. If you think you can carry on, I’d give it ten minutes before I start the colour. Otherwise, we can call it a day.”

“No, I want to carry on!” He cried. His cheeks went red. “Um…yeah, I guess I could use a break.”

I breathed a laugh, putting the gun down on the tray and grabbing a pot of salve to keep the wound clean. I put some cling wrap over it for the time being, then moved the arm of the chair out of the way.

“Be careful getting up,” I warned. “You might be a bit lightheaded.”

“Mmhmm.” He mumbled, staggering a little once he got on his feet. “Yeah I might need a hand getting to the other room.”

I rolled my eyes and tucked myself under his arm, wrapping mine around his waist. I felt the warmth of his body through my sleeve, and tried to suppress the urge to touch him elsewhere…

By the time we made it to the couch, Lance could pretty much walk on his own, so I let him go, standing near the desk with my arms crossed.

“How’s it all going?” Adam asked cheerily. I wondered if Shiro had told him everything yet…

“Good.” I replied. Lance was still shirtless, and it was _still_ making my heart beat like crazy. I couldn’t keep going like this…my heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

“You know, getting stabbed repeatedly by Keith isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Lance joked, rubbing his eyes. He looked drained; nothing an energy drink wouldn’t fix.

“Masochist.” I taunted, tossing him an energy drink from the cooler, and taking one for myself.

“I’ll be anything you want me to be, baby.” He purred, winking and shooting a finger gun at me.

“Are you high?” I groaned. “You can’t get a tattoo if you’re high.”

“Hey!” He exclaimed, cracking open the can and guzzling it down quickly. “Why do you always think I’m high when I’m-“ He cut himself off, going red. “Never mind.”

“When you’re what?” I demanded.

“When he’s _flirting_.” Adam whispered, quietly enough that Lance couldn’t hear.

My cheeks turned bright red. Lance wasn’t flirting with me, he was _straight_. It had to be a joke or something. Still, the thought lingered with me all through the rest of his session. He stayed pretty quiet, his cheeks rosy and his eyes pressed shut while I finished off the colouring. When I was finally done, I applied a sheet of sticky plastic covering and showed him to the desk.

“Leave the sheet on for twenty-four hours.” I explained. “Once you remove it, keep the tattoo clean and cover it in this salve.” I handed him a jar of our preferred treatment. “If you fuck up and it doesn’t heal properly, I’ll murder you.”

“Okay, okay.” He laughed, packing the salve and aftercare instructions into his bag. “Thank you, Keith.”

I smiled at him – something I hadn’t done genuinely to a client…well…ever.

“Before I head off,” He began, rubbing the back of his head. “Keith, can I talk to you outside?”

I tried not to choke on the air. He’d been acting strange since his weird comment earlier, and now he wanted to talk to me alone? Was he actually interested in me? I tried not to get my hopes up. This was _Lance_ we were talking about. He wasn’t exactly a mastermind.

We headed round to the back where he’d parked his car. He was walking a bit awkwardly, trying to stop his shirt from hitting the tattoo. I was a little disappointed when he had to put the shirt back on; I knew I’d be thinking about his bare chest and well-built shoulders for the rest of the day.

“So, um…” He began. “I…are we cool now?”

“What?” I asked, leaning against a bollard.

“I mean…are you going to talk to me from now on?” His face was a little downcast. “I was being serious when I said I missed you.”

“Erm…” I clenched my fists behind my back, reminded of James and how he’d jumped on me only a few nights before. “I mean…I was the one who was a jerk. I was kind of scared to talk to you.”

“I don’t blame you for anything.” He replied. “If anything, I was in the wrong. I was pushing too hard to look after you. I knew it was upsetting you, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Because Allura told you to.” I agreed.

“No.” He argued. “Because I _wanted to_.”

“You…what?” I shook my head. “Lance, you barely know me.”

“I know enough to see that you push yourself past the limit to protect the people you care about. I know that you desperately want to prove that you’re good enough, even though you’re honestly one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Seriously, dude. If we weren’t like…weird racing friends, I’d totally call you my rival.”

I laughed.

“So, are we cool?” he asked again, leaning back against his car.

“Yeah, I think so.” I said, smiling. “You’re coming to Race Night next week, aren’t you?”

“No shit.” He joked. “Now I’ve got this badass ink I’ll fit right in.”

“Lance, I doubt a pair of homosexual lions will go down well with the racing society.” I said, trying to subdue a laugh.

“Wait, what?” He stammered. “I thought they were just buddies?”

“Oh, and Lance?” I added before going back into the studio. I pulled the sleeve of my shirt up, revealing a tattoo of a realistic red lion, the exact same shade as the one on his chest. “I guess we’ve got matching tattoos now.”

I turned and walked to the back door, ignoring the audible panicking coming from his general direction. That morning, I hadn’t expected to be smiling, nor had I expected I’d get to stare at Lance’s chest all day. I guess things just work out like that sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance: is this a *gay panic*


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith head to Race Night, where Lance has a run-in with a gorgeous stranger.

A week passed quickly. Keith and I texted every night again, sometimes one of us was drunk, sometimes not. We had built a sort of mutual agreement to give each other a hard time, and neither of us mentioned the gay lions again.

I’d just gotten home from work and decided to sit down for a bit before Race Night, when my phone got a call. It was Veronica.

“Hey, Vee.” I answered, lounging back and kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

“Lance, hi.” She said quietly. From the muffled sounds of ambulance sirens, I guessed she was still at work. “I need you to tell me something – no lying.”

“Alright…” I began, sitting up. “What do you need to know?”

“What’s ‘Race Night’?” She whispered.

I fell silent. How the _fuck_ could Veronica know about Race Night? I couldn’t very well just come out and tell her about it; Keith had reiterated the importance of keeping it secret more times than I could count.

“What?” I asked, feigning ignorance. I hated lying to my family, but I’d promised Keith I would keep it all to myself. “I have no idea. Sounds cool, though.”

She sighed. “Right.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, Acxa-“ She was cut off by the wail of a siren. “Acxa finally came to this afternoon. I happened to be passing by when it happened. She mumbled something about Race Night, then became extremely agitated. Since you know her friends, I thought you might know what it was.”

“No, sorry.” I mumbled. “I hope she’s okay.”

“She’s pulling through.” Veronica mused. “She’s strong. It’s admirable.”

“I’ll let Zethrid and Ezor know she’s doing well.” I replied. “Did you manage to get them on the visitors list yet?”

“Not yet.” She sighed. “I’ll keep trying.”

“Thanks. I know it means a lot to them.”

“Alright, let’s go for that lunch soon! Byee~.”

She hung up. I sighed a breath of relief. Somehow I’d managed to keep our secret, but for how long? Veronica never gave up easily, so I knew she’d keep pressing to find out. She might even ask Acxa herself. I couldn’t let her find out that I was part of an illegal racing society, but the guilt was already setting in.

Later, I stood outside my apartment. Keith had offered me a ride to the canal, to save me having to walk again. He showed up on time, tossing me the blue helmet.

“New mask?” He asked, pointing at my face. I’d invested in a blue lower-face mask to go along with my name.

“Yeah.” I laughed, pulling on my helmet and climbing onto the back of his motorcycle. I hadn’t been on it since the last Race Night, and I’d accepted my crush on Keith since then, so I felt a new kind of nerves for the experience.

“Hold on.” He teased, revving the engine as he’d done before. I begrudgingly clung to his waist, trying to ignore the burning in my chest and cheeks. At one point during the ride, Keith made a sharp stop, and I wasn’t able to stop my chest from colliding with his back. Out of desperation, I found myself clinging to him harder, biting my lip in an attempt to calm myself down. When we finally arrived at the canal, I was glad the helmet covered my flushed cheeks.

“Are you racing tonight?” I asked, removing the helmet once I’d cooled off a little.

“Nope.” He replied, removing his own helmet and shaking out his glossy hair. I felt my heart do a little jump; he was _so fucking hot_ , I couldn’t take it.

“Then why are we here?” I asked, patting down my clothing in an attempt to mask my nerves.

“To confront Prodigy.” He said matter-of-factly, his black-rimmed eyes steady.

“W-what? Is that necessary?” I stammered. “You ‘confronted’ him pretty hard last time.”

Keith crossed his arms. “He needs to know that he can’t get away with hurting the people I care about.”

The assurance with which he said those words made my chest feel light.

“W-well, I really don’t think…” I mumbled, but Keith had looked over to the bridge, where two figures in jackets were approaching. When they came into the headlights of the gathered cars, I realised it was Shiro, accompanied by a dark-haired man in leather.

“Sh-Shiro?! What the fuck…” Keith growled, storming towards the two men. I hung back, my own eyes focused on the cosmically handsome man who was sauntering towards me.

“Hello.” He purred, flipping his pale hair back. “It’s…Blue, right?”

“Who are you?” I shot back, crossing my arms. I knew damn well who he was.

The man let out a sensual laugh, gliding a little closer to me. He took a strand of his silky hair in his fingers and narrowed his eyes playfully. “I’m The Prodigy.”

“Right, now I remember.” I taunted. “The idiot.”

His playful eyes turned to calculating slits – but only for a moment. His flirty façade returned quickly.

“I hope you’re not still upset about the situation with White Stripe.” He condescended. “Truly, I would fix him if I could, but alas I am just a simple man.”

“Simple is right.” I muttered under my breath. “What do you want?”

“I want to talk.” He purred, sidling up to me. He was so close I could feel his breath on my cheeks. _Damn_ , the guy had to be nearly 7 feet tall. “I am…intrigued by you, Mr Blue. You and your Leo have piqued my interest.”

“Well I’m sorry to disappoint-“ I began, but Keith interrupted me.

“Blue! Come here!”

“Sorry, ‘my Leo’ is calling.” I patted him on the arm. “Don’t try to talk to me again.”

As I walked away, I felt his cool gaze on my back, and I couldn’t help but feel anxious. Something about the beautiful man gave me chills, and not in a good way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if it wasn't abundantly clear, Prodigy is Lotor


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro shows up at Race Night. Keith is challenged by an unexpected racer.

“Sh-Shiro?! What the fuck…” I growled, storming towards where Shiro and Adam were approaching. I dragged Shiro to the side, hissing, “Why are you here? You should be resting.”

“I thought you might decide to pull something stupid, so I came to keep you in line.” He replied, then inclined his head towards Adam. “I needed someone to drive me.”

“Fuck, Shiro.” I groaned. “Race Night is supposed to be _secret_.”

Shiro leant close to me. “I think you should be worrying about someone else.” He pointed to where Lance stood near my bike. Prodigy had sidled up close to him, and they seemed to be deep in conversation.

Jealously burned inside me.

“Blue! Come here!” I shouted, interrupting them. Lance looked around, his eyes fixing on me. He said something to Prodigy, then jogged over.

“Thanks.” He breathed. “You saved my ass.”

“What did that asshole want?” I growled. He had no right to be so close to Lance – not that I had any right to be jealous, but still. He had to be up to no good.

“Being a jerk.” Lance replied, brushing off his jacket.

“Did he say anything weird?” I demanded, leaning closer. Lance looked visibly uncomfortable; if Prodigy had anything to do with it, I would _kill him._

“Not really…” Lance mumbled. “Well…kind of. It’s nothing.” He looked at Shiro. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be resting.”

“This?” Shiro laughed, gesturing to his right arm – or lack thereof. “This is nothing. I have somebody I need to speak with.”

He readjusted his jacket and walked into the centre of the gathered cars. People looked up from their conversations, talking in hushed voices about him. I clenched my fist, ready to hurl myself at them one by one, but Lance grasped my upper arm in his massive, strong hand.

“Keith, no.” He hissed.

“Keith, _yes_.” I grumbled, but didn’t leap forward. It pissed me off that everyone was looking at Shiro like he was weak, when I knew how much strength it had taken him just to leave the apartment. I knew I wouldn’t make it very far with Lance watching, though – and while I hated having him constantly keeping me in check, I knew it was all in favour of keeping me safe. Stupid Lance and his stupid kind heart and stupid handsome face and sexy body-

“I know what you’re all thinking.” Shiro shouted, demanding the attention of the gathered people. Their eyes were cool; judgemental. “’White Stripe, you lost the race, you’re banned from racing’ and ‘White Stripe, you’re injured and can’t race’. Well, I’m here to tell you all that I do not go down easy.” He turned to where Prodigy stood with his posse, his expression amused. “I’ll be back, Prodigy, and when I am, you’ll _wish_ you hadn’t crossed me.”

“I wait eagerly for the day you return, White Stripe.” Prodigy taunted. “Run away, now-“

He was interrupted as a rider sped into the canal. They were slender, and wore purple and black gear, and a black helmet with a purple design on the side. They skidded to a halt beside Allura, who was stood near Chief’s car. They pulled out a folded piece of paper from their pocket and handed it to her, then revved their engine once before racing away. The canal was silent for a moment after they left, watching Allura read the note.

“Leo,” She said eventually, looking directly at me. “You’ve been challenged to a race next month…by The Wanderer.”

There were whispers around me, but I didn’t hear them. The Wanderer…the one who’d been rumoured to race me…had just _turned up and challenged me._ It had to be a hoax. The Wanderer wasn’t _real_. The Wanderer was rumoured to ruin racers…why did they want to take me on? I was just a no-name newbie with no reputation. How did they even hear about me? None of this made _sense…_

“Keith.” Lance’s voice broke through my thoughts, startling me back into reality. “Keith.” He said again, putting a hand on my shoulder. I noticed Shiro had come back over, and was wincing a little.

“Y-yeah.” I mumbled, shaking my head.

“We’re leaving.” Shiro said calmly.

“But-“ I began, looking at Allura.

“We’ll deal with this later.” He interrupted, rolling his shoulder. He seemed to be in pain. “We can go to the bar if you don’t want to go home just yet.”

I shook my head. “No, you and Adam should head back. I’ll find something to do.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “Don’t get home too late. Cosmo was a bit agitated to be left alone.”

“Shit…” I hissed, remembering the anxious dog I’d left at home. I turned to Shiro, who was getting into Adam’s car.

“We’re going back to Adam’s place.” Shiro called. “You can have the apartment to yourself tonight.” He slammed the car door closed and they drove off, leaving me and Lance to stand speechless. _Shiro, you moron,_ I thought. He’d clearly assumed Lance and I were interested in each other, when it was obviously clear that Lance was totally straight.

“So…” Lance said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “Who is Cosmo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually originally going to be much longer, but it got too long so I had to split it in half (so there'll be another update later this evening)


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance go back to Keith's apartment.

Keith and I ended up climbing back onto his bike pretty quickly, heading back to his apartment to see someone called Cosmo – someone he’d told me I would have to wait until I met. Hearing he had someone waiting at his apartment for him made me a bit jealous, but I assumed they were family, like Shiro.

We parked at the back of the tattoo studio and got off the bike, Keith shaking his mullet out again. _Damn_ , I wanted to just run my hands through it.

“Wait, you live here?” I asked, looking around the back of the studio. “You never said.”

“You never asked.” Keith shrugged, unlocking the back door. I heard scratching from the door at the top of the stairwell. “Alright, Cosmo! I’m coming!” He shouted up the stairs. The scratching stopped.

“Wait…” I said as we ascended, trying to ignore my nerves about being alone with Keith in his apartment. I’d fantasised about it, but I hadn’t thought it would happen so quickly. At this point, I didn’t even know if Keith was gay or not. Hell, I’d barely just accepted that I was bisexual, and spotting queer guys hadn’t exactly been on my radar before. “Is Cosmo a…”

Keith opened the door a crack; a dark muzzle popped through the crack in the door, followed by a blue paw. Keith laughed and slowly opened the door. An enormous, fluffy dog with blue-black fur pounced on him, planting wet kisses all over his face. I envied the dog.

“Lance, this is Cosmo.” Keith laughed, putting the dog down on the floor and ruffling his neck fur. “Sorry for being out so long, buddy.” He cooed, rubbing his face on the dog’s forehead.

I covered my blushing cheeks. He was so _cute_.

“He’s so fluffy.” I managed to say over the pounding of my heart. I’d been jealous of a fucking _dog_.

Keith turned and shot me a beaming smile, his eyes creasing at the corners. I’d never seen him so happy before; I found myself turning a deeper shade of red.

“You can sit anywhere.” He said, standing up. “Do you want something to drink?” The dog followed at his heels, ignoring me completely. It was obvious that Keith was the alpha in their relationship, and the dog _worshipped_ him.

_Me too, Cosmo_. I thought. I wanted nothing more than to worship every part of Keith.

“Something alcoholic, preferably.” I mumbled, sitting down on the couch, which was covered in dog hair. I found myself watching the dog again, confused by its blue fur. “So…why is Cosmo blue?”

Keith looked up from the drinks he was preparing and frowned.

“He’s a rescue. We think his previous owner dyed his fur.” He looked back down. “He was probably a bait dog.”

“Shit, that’s awful.” I looked back at Cosmo, who was laying down on the floor, looking up at Keith with loving yellow eyes. “He looks really happy, though.”

Keith smiled. “Yeah, he’s really taken a liking to us.” He picked up the glasses and brought them over, handing one to me before sitting down beside me. Cosmo jumped up between us, eyeing me cautiously. I sipped from the glass; it was _strong_.

“What’s in this?” I asked, clearing my throat. He knew I was a lightweight…right?

“Whiskey and cola.” He replied, drinking from his glass like it was apple juice.

“Hmm.” I chirped, trying to hide my embarrassment. I couldn’t exactly back out now he’d made it for me. I took another sip; once you got past the initial burn, it wasn’t too bad. “You know you didn’t have to invite me here.” I said finally. “I could have walked home.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted you to come back.” He barked, then ducked his head. I couldn’t see his cheeks through his hair, but I could tell from his body language that he was blushing. I turned my own face away, feeling my cheeks go red too.

“Right.” I mumbled.

“How’s your tattoo?” He asked eventually, flipping his hair away from his pale face. Cosmo looked up at the sudden movement, then settled his head back down on Keith’s leg.

“It’s good! It’s really itchy and peeling like sunburn, but it looks great.” I said, peering down my shirt to look at the tattoo. I still hadn’t forgotten that the red lion matched Keith’s tattoo. I quickly gulped back the rest of my drink, then remembered how strong it was and instantly regretted it. “Did you wanna have a look at it?”

His eyes widened.

“R-right now? Erm…” He looked away, finishing off his drink and standing to go get another. “Sure, yeah.”

I took that as permission to remove my shirt, peeling it off so that my chest was exposed. I ran my finger over the peeling design, careful not to disturb any of the healing skin.

When Keith returned from the kitchen, holding a half-finished glass of drink for him, and a second glass for me, his eyes were instantly drawn to my chest, filling me with nerves. What if he didn’t like how I looked? I mean, he’d seen my chest before, but still.

He sipped at his glass then leant towards me, inspecting the tattoo carefully. When he was satisfied that he’d stared at it for long enough, he stood up and nodded.

“Looks good.” He said eventually. “Give it a few more weeks and it’ll be healed.”

“I have a question.” I asked, putting my drink down on the coffee table. It was already starting to hit me; I knew if I had any more I’d pass out at Keith’s place, which was a bad idea. Being drunk around him when I knew I had a crush on him was dangerous enough – I could be a terrible flirt at the best of times. “How do you know the lions are gay?”

“Because I designed the tattoo?” He shrugged. He’d almost finished his second glass.

“What does that mean?” I laughed. “Did you design them as gay lions, then?”

“Well, yeah.” He placed his empty glass next to mine. “But I’m also gay.”

I paused. So he _was_ gay. That was good for me, right? So why did I feel so nervous about that fact?

“ _I_ have a question for _you_.” Keith asked before I had a chance to say anything. He sounded more casual than usual; I put it down to the fact that he’d been drinking. “Why did you choose red and blue for the lions?”

“Erm…” I mumbled, picking up my drink out of habit. “Well, I don’t know. I guess I just thought those colours suited them. I didn’t do it to deliberately match you, if that’s what you think.”

He crossed his arms, still stood in front of me. I still hadn’t put my shirt on, so it was a weird situation. I could feel the alcohol starting to take control, so I knew I had to stop, but the drink was in front of me – not to mention Keith with his cute face and sexy ass I wanted to grab.

“Do you want to see my tattoos?”

 

~

 

Somehow, I’d let myself get tipsy – and somehow, that had led to Lance and I, both with our shirts off, checking out each other’s tattoos. We were sat back on the couch, me with my back to Lance.

“Cool…” He mumbled, gently touching the cosmic landscape Shiro had tattooed on my back. I felt him trace one of the constellations and shivered; his touch was so agonisingly gentle that it tickled. “Did Shiro do all of your tattoos?”

“All but one.” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. I’d forgotten Lance was a lightweight, and given him whiskey, so he was already pretty drunk. “I did one on myself.”

“Which one?” He gasped, spinning me to face him. If my cheeks weren’t already burning from the alcohol, they would have turned bright red. He didn’t seem to have any problem with constantly reminding me how strong he was.

I pointed to a small constellation on the inside of my left wrist. Lance grabbed my arm and pulled it closer to get a better look, pulling me towards him in the process. I was so close I could feel the head radiating from his body.

“You’re so cool…” He mumbled, still staring at my wrist. “I wish I was as cool as you.”

“You always say I’m cool but I’m not.” I said softly. “Stupid.”

Lance looked a little downcast.

“I know I’m stupid.” He mumbled, moving my arm down to my leg and releasing it. “Everyone treats me like I’m dumb. But that doesn’t mean you’re not cool.”

Stricken with guilt, I reached forward and put my hand on his thigh, staring up at his eyes from behind my bangs.

“I didn’t mean it!” I stammered. “I don’t really think you’re dumb. I think you’re kind and smart and I-“

“Shh.” He interrupted, cupping my cheek in his hand. “You don’t have to pretend. It’s kinda sad. I always assumed the reason I thought I didn’t have a chance with you was because I didn’t know if you were gay. But even now I know you are…I still don’t feel good enough for you.”

I felt my body flood with heat. Lance…Lance was interested in me?

“W-what are you saying, Lance?” I stammered. “I don’t understand. Y-you’re straight…”

“I like you.” He breathed. “But someone like me could never be good enough for someone like you.”

“Of course you’re good enough, Lance.” I breathed, my voice almost a sob. “You’re just drunk right now, okay. Let’s talk about this tomorrow-“

In a blur of movement, Lance leant forward and kissed me in the middle of the forehead, then fell sideways so that his head collided with my shoulder. Passed out. Again. Jeez, I couldn't spend one night drinking with the guy without him passing out on me.

“Shit…” I hissed. I’d let him drink too much. “Lance? Are you okay?”

He didn’t make a sound other than his soft breathing. I sat still for a while, too scared to move, but also selfishly enjoying Lance being so close to me. Lance liked me. _Lance liked me_. I knew there was a chance that it was all just the alcohol talking but _Lance liked me._

I shook my head, knowing I couldn’t let Lance sleep on my bare shoulder all night. We were both still shirtless, and although Shiro had said he was staying out all night, I knew he’d probably show up at an ungodly hour the next morning, not giving Lance a chance to leave. If Shiro saw Lance had stayed the night, he would never let me live it down.

I carefully lowered Lance down onto the couch for now, placing a blanket over his body, then prepared myself another drink. If I couldn’t fix things, I’d just have to forget they happened. I made my drink extra strong, then retreated to my bedroom with Cosmo to drink the night away.

_Keith,_ I thought. _You’ve really made a mess of things now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will they remember? will shiro come home early?
> 
> tune in next time for more *gay panics*


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to remember what happened the night before. Keith weaves a web of lies.

When I woke, my head felt like it had been through a spin cycle, and my body was heavy as lead. It took me a moment to remember where I was – Keith’s apartment. I scrambled up into a sitting position, regretting it immediately when the nausea hit me. I remembered coming back from the canal, and then…we must have gotten drunk.

Had I flirted with him? I wasn’t wearing a shirt – a hundred scenarios raced through my mind, all of them culminating with Keith and I…oh no.

I heard one of the doors open. Cosmo trotted out, followed by a drowsy Keith. He was wearing nothing but a baggy t-shirt, and his ink-black hair was mussed up from sleep. He rubbed his eyes, then looked at me. It seemed to take him a moment to remember why I was there.

“Lance…” He groaned. “You’re awake.”

“Y-yeah…” I mumbled, covering my chest with the blanket. All sleepy and wearing the big t-shirt, he looked fucking _adorable_ – it was _unbearable_.

“Did you sleep okay?” He yawned, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

“I think so.” I replied, rubbing my head. “Do you…do you know where my shirt is?”

“Oh, sorry.” He looked around the couch for a minute, then sighed. “Sorry, I really have no idea where it went after you took it off. I’ll grab one of mine.”

He trudged back into his bedroom – the thoughts I had about that room were downright sinful – and returned with a plain black t-shirt.

“It might be a bit tight.” He said, handing the shirt to me. I pulled it over my head – he was right, it was pretty tight – catching the scent that clung to it. Keith’s scent. I forced down the heat rushing to my face and crossed my legs beneath the blanket. I still had no idea what had happened the night before, but since we were in separate rooms, I deduced that we hadn’t fucked. Judging by the state of him, though, Keith had been just as drunk as I had.

“Do you remember what happened?” He asked, as if reading my mind.

I shook my head. “Do you?”

He hesitated, then rubbed his temples. “Not everything. You got drunk and showed me how your tattoo is getting on.” He paused. “I don’t remember what happened after that.”

I frowned. What happened after me removing my shirt could have been _anything_.

“Well, I guess I should probably head home.” I yawned. “Did Shiro end up coming back?”

Keith shook his head. I stood up and stretched, staggering a little bit. The nausea returned. I needed to eat something.

“We can go grab some breakfast from the café if you feel up to it.” He suggested, curling his knees up to his chest. “I’ll drive you home after.”

I nodded. “Sure, that sounds great actually.”

 

~

 

_Lance looked so fucking good in my shirt holy fuck someone please end me xoxo Keith_

 

~

 

Keith and I headed down to the café after he’d put on some clothes – a band t-shirt and some jeans – and found it to be unusually busy. I almost walked out when I saw Hunk and Pidge sat with Coran in the far corner.

“Lance, my boy!” Coran called, waving Keith and I over. “And Keith! What a strange pair to see so early on a Saturday morning.”

“Nothing happened!” I stammered, but realised that made everyone more suspicious. “We just like hanging out together, okay!”

“Shut up.” Keith hissed, grasping my jacket sleeve with his fingers. “You’re making it worse.”

“So…” Pidge began, her eyes narrowing. “What did you two get up to last night?”

“Nothing.” I snapped, sitting in a free chair. Keith took the one next to me.

“Lance came to help me dog-sit.” Keith explained, pinching my thigh in an attempt to shut me up. It had an unexpected effect which I would definitely remember for later. “I rescued an ex-bait-dog, and he was a bit difficult to manage alone.”

“How sweet!” Hunk chimed, leaning forward onto the table. “Do you have a picture of him?”

“Why would I have a picture of Lance?” Keith said, cocking his head to one side.

I pinched his thigh in retaliation. “Hunk means the dog.”

“Oh.” Keith mumbled, turning red. He pulled out his phone and showed a photo of Cosmo to Hunk. “His name is Cosmo.”

“Why the fuck is it blue?” Pidge queried. “Sorry, why is _he_ blue?”

Keith went on to explain what he’d told me about Cosmo the night before. I went up to the counter to wait in the queue, finding Romelle at the counter when I arrived. I hadn’t seen her for a while.

“Good morning, Lance!” She said cheerily. For some reason, she looked more dishevelled than usual. Her hair was a mess and her eyes had bags underneath. Maybe she’d gone out the night before. “What can I get you?”

“One of those hangover breakfasts,” I yawned, glancing over at the table. “And whatever Keith normally orders for a hangover.”

“Two breakfasts coming right up!” She smiled. “Any drinks?”

“The usual.”

Romelle made our coffees and handed me a tray. I took them back to the table and sat beside Keith, who had gone quiet and was looking down at his hands.

“You doing alright, bud?” I asked, handing him his black coffee.

He snapped out of his daze. “Y-yeah. I was just thinking about last night.”

“Oh.” I sipped my coffee. “Did you remember anything else?”

“No!” He snapped. His cheeks turned red, betraying that there was something he wasn’t telling me.

“Are you sure?”

He paused, setting his wide eyes on me.

“No.”

“Lance,” Pidge broke in. “You never showed us your tattoo.”

“I am not taking my shirt off.” I retorted. “And no, I don’t have a photo of it.”

“I do.” Keith mumbled, flicking through his phone. For a moment I wondered why he had a photo of my bare chest, but then I remembered that he had taken a photo of the tattoo after my appointment. Hunk and Pidge looked at it, then at each other.

“What?” I asked. “Don’t you like it?”

“Well…” Hunk began.

“It’s…don’t get me wrong, it’s really well done.”

“But?” I queried.

Pidge and Hunk looked at each other again.

“The blue one sort of looks like you.” Pidge said. “Like, in his personality.”

Coran leant over.

“The red one reminds me a lot of Keith.” He laughed. “As I recall, you have a red lion on your arm, correct?”

Keith shoved the phone back into his pocket, seeming a little sheepish. So…the lions looked like Keith and I? What did that mean? Had Keith made them look like us on purpose? He seemed to be keeping something from me. Was it to do with the tattoo, or could it be something that happened the night before? I had to find out.

 

~

 

After breakfast, I quickly drove Lance home and then returned to the apartment, where Shiro had finally come back. He was changing into some different clothes.

“Keith. You went out.” He said, adjusting his shirt so it sat comfortably on his prosthetic. “We just got back.”

“We?” I queried, sitting on the couch.

Adam appeared from Shiro’s room, smiling happily.

“Right.” I mumbled. “Yeah, we went to the café for breakfast.”  

“We?” Shiro teased, leaning against the doorframe. “Did Lance stay the night?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, jeez. We’re just friends.” I frowned.

“Still haven’t figured out if he’s straight or not, I take it.” Shiro mused.

I looked down at my hands. I hated that I’d lied to Lance, but I couldn’t tell him I remembered everything – then I’d have to explain it. I wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet, even though it was agonising to pretend nothing had happened. Lance had – albeit drunkenly – confessed that he liked me, and I still didn’t know if it was real. I couldn’t risk ruining our hard-won friendship based on some drunken murmur. I could wait – I just wasn’t sure how long.

“Not yet.” I finally answered, lying to yet another loved one. I’d start telling the truth someday, but today was not that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE DRUNK MEMORY LOSS CLICHE BUT I'M NOT READY FOR MY BABIES TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP JUST YET OK DON'T HATE ME Y'ALL


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance, Hunk and Pidge go for a work night out. Lance runs into some unexpected faces.

A week or so after Race Night, I was sat in the office with Pidge, waiting for her to finish filing her paperwork so we could go out. Allura had gone out of town for a few days with Coran – something family related, since they were distant cousins or something – leaving Pidge in charge of the garage. So, obviously, we’d planned a night out for the three of us that were still here.

“Hurry up…” I whined, jogging my knee up and down in irritation.

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye; if looks could kill, I would be 6 feet under by now.

“All done cleaning.” Hunk said, appearing from the back, wiping his hands on a rag. “Are we nearly ready to go?”

“Hunk, please remove Lance from the office.” Pidge hissed. “He is hindering the speed at which I finish this paperwork.”

“As you command, mistress.” Hunk teased, bowing and grabbing me by the arm, dragging me into the client waiting area. I peered through the glass at Pidge; she flipped me off and carried on with the paperwork.

“We’re going to miss free entry.” I whined.

“She’s got a lot on her plate, Lance.” Hunk condescended. “Cut her some slack.”

“Ugh…”I groaned, throwing myself onto one of the arm chairs and pulling out my phone. Keith hadn’t been texting me as much since I stayed over, and today was no exception. He wasn’t ignoring me again, but I definitely felt a shift in his personality after that night. I still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of what happened between us, or what he was hiding.

“Alright, I’m done.” Pidge said eventually, appearing at the door to the office. She still looked pissed at me, so I didn’t say a word. I drove them to my apartment, where we all got changed, and then called a cab to take us to the local bar. Luckily, we made it there in time for free entry, and got in without any issues.

Inside the bar, Pidge and Hunk immediately ordered a round of drinks. I held off, knowing how easily I got drunk, and instead had a soft drink. I felt like a loser being sober, especially when I was known as the life of the party, but after forgetting something evidently important happening with Keith, I knew I had to change my ways.

At some point, Pidge and Hunk disappeared to the dance floor. I stayed back at the table, sipping my soda and looking around at all the drunk people. They looked like they were all having a great time, unlike me, stuck back at the table with no friends and no alcohol.

“Can I buy you a drink?” A familiar voice said from beside me. I recognised the arrogance in his voice before I saw him – The Prodigy.

“You.” I grumbled.

“Me.” He sang, leaning against the table. Every action he made was smooth, and well-thought-out. He was like a cat in the way that he moved, and his sultry voice reminded me of a succubus. “So? Can I buy you a drink, Blue Boy?”

“Don’t call me that.” I hissed. “And no, you can’t buy me a drink. I’m sober tonight.”

“What a coincidence. I happen to be sober tonight, too.” He sat backwards on the high bench, leaning his elbows back onto the table. His silky hair was flashing different colours in the lights from the dancefloor.

“Oh, is that so?” I taunted. “Dude, I don’t even know your real name, and I can’t have a conversation with someone I only know as ‘The Prodigy’.”

“Lotor.” He said calmly, leaning his face close to mine. His deep blue eyes were calculating and predatory. “My name is Lotor.”

“Good for you.” I huffed, returning to my drink.

“What is your name?” He asked, angling my face towards him with his long, smooth fingers. I batted him away, shuffling in my seat.

“Fuck off. I already said I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Is this to do with White?” He asked, putting on a pathetic voice. “I already said I didn’t intend for it to happen.”

“No, it’s because you’re a fucking creep.” I snapped back. “Seriously, you need to back off. I don’t know you, and you’re acting like we’re old friends or something.”

“As I said before,” He began. “I would very much like to get to know you better.”

“Next time don’t run over my friend’s arm, then.” I growled, storming away from the table towards the dance floor. On the way, I ran into a guy who looked somewhat familiar. He seemed to recognise me too, and raised his eyebrows when he realised.

“Lance?” He asked, slapping my arm. “It’s been too long, buddy!”

“Who are you?” I shouted over the music.

He leaned in close to my ear so that I could hear him.

“It’s Griffin!” He shouted. “From high school?”

“Oh, dude!” I shouted, smacking him on the back. “Long time!”

“You wanna talk outside? I was just going for a smoke.”

I nodded, and we headed outside. I could find Hunk and Pidge later, once Prodigy – Lotor – was gone.

“So, what have you been up to since high school?” Griffin asked, leaning against the wall and lighting a cigarette. I leant up next to him, shoving my hands in my pockets.

“I became an auto mechanic.” I replied. “You?”

“I work for an animal rescue centre.” He laughed. “Damn, the two class clowns are actually working dudes, now. I bet nobody expected that.”

“Totally.” I laughed. “Hey, did you end up proposing to Nadia?”

He shook his head. “Nah, we broke up shortly after high school. I think she’s a lesbian now.”

“Ouch.” I hissed.

He flapped his hand. “Nah, I’m gay, so I don’t care.”

“Wait, you’re gay?” I scoffed. “You were the most alpha bro in high school!”

“I guess it was all just for show.” He laughed. “How about you? Did you ever work things out with Nyma?”

“She got back together with Rolo, so no.” I sighed. “I haven’t really dated since then. It was only recently that I actually started liking someone again.”

“Oh, tell me about her.” He pressed. “I bet she’s a stunner.”

“Well…” I trailed off. He’d told me he was gay, so I guessed he wouldn’t mind if I came out to him. “They’re actually a guy…”

“No shit!” He gasped. “You’re gay too?!”

“Bi.” I corrected. “I still like women, too. This guy is something special, though. He’s got these really pretty eyes, and this really dorky hair, and he’s a huge grump most of the time, but when he smiles? Ah, it melts my heart…”

“He sounds great.” Griffin smiled. “I met a guy recently, too, but I think I screwed it up.”

I looked at him questioningly. As he was about to answer me, I heard the familiar whine of Pidge’s clingy drunk persona.

“I don’t _want_ to go home…” She whined. Hunk carried her out of the doorway, coming over when he saw me.

“She’s doing the thing.” Hunk sighed. “I have to take her home.”

“Sure.” I agreed, turning back to Griffin. “I’ve gotta go. We should catch up another time, though!”

“Yeah, definitely.” He smiled, extinguishing the butt of his cigarette and heading back inside. As we all clambered into a taxi, I thought about how weird it was that we were the straightest kids back in high school, but had both ended up as anything _but_ straight. The world worked in mysterious ways.

I was so deep in thought that I almost missed a text from Keith. It was a photo of Cosmo with his tongue hanging out, captioned, ' _gave him some beef, now he wont put his damn tongue away'_.

I replied,

Me: Tell him uncle Lancey Lance will give him some beef next time if he's a good boy.

Keith replied almost instantly.

Keith: Now he's drooling. Good job Uncle Lancey Lance.

I was going to send him a reply of 'sorry' with a kissy emoji, but thought it might ruin our already fragile friendship. Instead, I told him I'd come over as soon as I could. I needed to work up the courage to talk to him about my feelings. 

I decided that night that the next time I saw Keith, I would tell him how I felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to go to bed but my mind is trapped in the realm of ***K L A N C E***


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has to deal with unwanted attention from a customer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short & longer one incoming. They were supposed to be 1 long chapter but it felt disjointed from my previous structures so I split them.

As I set up my station in the tattoo studio, I couldn’t help but feel anxious for the day to come. James’ second appointment had finally arrived, and I hadn’t spoken to him since that night outside the studio. Part of me had wondered if he would even show up, until I got a text from him the night before, asking for the appointment time. I’d replied with a short message, then tossed my phone to the other side of the room. I didn’t need to worry about James right now – I was too busy trying to figure out how to tell Lance the truth.

I’d caught myself avoiding him in the week following the incident, and had made an effort to talk more, to throw him off the scent. He’d resolved to ask me if I remembered anything _every single day_. All it had taken for him to stop asking was for me to act normal again.

I looked at the design James had emailed in. It was another spaceship – apparently, he wanted a whole sleeve of the damn things – on a galaxy background. I knew I’d probably only get the linework done in one day, which would mean facing him again in a month or so. I had to clear things up with him sooner rather than later, otherwise I’d be dealing with the anxiety for the foreseeable future.

I heard the doorbell jangle, and started preparing my stool and ink pots. A few minutes later, Adam brought James through to the back room.

“Thanks, Adam.” I mumbled. He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with James.

“So…” James said after a few minutes of silence. He moved to sit in the chair. “I thought you’d probably cancel my appointment.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked flatly, turning away to finish preparing my ink.

“I guess you don’t want to talk about what happened, then.”

My hands froze for a second. So, he just wanted to come right out and say it. Fine, if he was going to be like that, then I’d play his game.

“You did something I wasn’t comfortable with, then didn’t contact me afterwards to apologise, or even try to check on Cosmo.”

“I wanted to give you some space.” I shot back. “I thought if I pushed too hard you might not-“

“Might not, what?” I whipped to face him, trying to keep my voice steady even though I wanted to scream. “Not want to be your friend? Not want to give you more tattoos?”

“I’m sorry.” He said firmly. “I wasn’t in my right mind, and I did something stupid. I should have apologised – I should have kept apologising until you were satisfied. I was just…scared. I thought if I was too pushy, you would push me away.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“Well, either way, I don’t want to talk about it.” I said finally, prepping his skin for the tattoo. “After we finish this tattoo, I don’t think you should come back to me again. I don’t feel comfortable having a personal connection to my client, regardless of whether we’re still friends or not.”

“Alright.” He mumbled. “You could have cancelled today, and you didn’t. So, thank you.”

I fell silent, getting on with the linework. Just before I was about to finish tattooing the outline, he turned his face to me.

“How _is_ Cosmo, by the way? I hate myself for not asking sooner.”

“He’s good.” I mumbled. It irritated me that he was still trying – I still hadn’t forgotten that he’d asked me on a date. He obviously still wanted to pursue some kind of relationship with me. “We decided to keep him, since he bonded to me.”

“Thank you for that.” He replied genuinely. “Honestly, I doubt we could have found a better home for him. I assume he took to your roommate well?”

“They get along okay.” I replied. “He does get a little jealous of my-“ I paused, wondering what to call Lance. He wasn’t my boyfriend, but maybe lying would be a way to get James to give up on me. “The person I’m dating.”

“You’re dating someone?” He mumbled, looking a little crestfallen. “I didn’t know.”

“You never asked.”

“I’m so sorry for everything.” He groaned. “I feel like such an idiot. I promise I’ll keep my distance from now on.”

“We’re finished.” I barked, wiping over the tattoo and covering it. Back at the front desk, I’d just gone through the aftercare instructions and was saying goodbye, when I heard the front door open.

 

~

 

Keith’s eyes widened and his face lit up when someone came into the studio behind me. _Probably his partner,_ I thought, turning to the door to see what they were like.

“Griffin?” They said cheerily, looking between Keith and I.

“Lance?” I replied, dumbfounded – and furious. _Keith_ was the guy Lance had a crush on? I wouldn’t let that bisexual fucker steal Keith away from me.

 

~

 

“Griffin?” Lance said, coming into the studio.

“Lance?” James replied, his face unreadable.

“I see you’ve come to the best tattoo artist in town – too bad he’s a big old grumpy face.” He teased, poking his tongue out at me.

“I hope you’ve brought beef, Uncle Lancey Lance.” I shot back. I’d just lied to James that Lance was my fucking _boyfriend_ , and now they were both in the same room – and appeared to know each other.

“Yeah, he’s great.” James replied, squaring up to Lance. “I guess you’re here for a tattoo too, then?”

“Nah,” He batted the air. “I’m here to hang out with Keith’s doggo. I need to make him like me.”

“He likes you enough.” I sighed.

“ _Everyone likes me_.” Lance complained. “That dog and his attachment to you are ruining my perfect likeability track record.”

“That makes no sense, Lance.” I groaned. “See you next time, James. Come on, Lance.”

We turned away from the door and headed towards the back door to the stairwell. I couldn’t help but feel like James was staring after us.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to win the affection of Cosmo, while also trying to work up the courage to tell Keith about his crush.

We went up to Keith’s apartment, where Cosmo waited patiently at the door.

“Aw, you trained him not to scratch.” I cooed, offering my hand for the dog to sniff. He turned his nose up, following Keith into his bedroom.

“Actually, _I_ trained him not to scratch.” Shiro laughed, coming out of his bedroom. He looked exhausted, but restless. I couldn’t imagine being forced to stay at home and rest for so long.

“That’s because you have too much free time.” Keith retorted, poking his head out of his room. “You coming?”

I turned red, following Keith into his room. I felt a bunch of emotions swirl inside me – nerves, lust, excitement, fear. Today was the day. The day I would tell Keith how I felt about him.

His room was almost exactly how I’d imagined it: black and red décor, a bed that was low to the ground, and minimalistic belongings. His helmet was sat on the top of a chest of drawers, and a few shirts were hung on the back of a chair.

Keith threw himself onto his bed, shrugging off his hoodie. My thoughts turned inappropriate when his t-shirt caught as he pulled it off, showing a strip of his abdomen. For such a small guy, he had great abs.

“Sit down then, weirdo.” He taunted, patting the bed beside him. I tentatively sat down; Cosmo jumped up between us.

“Beef!” I cried, rummaging through my bag until I found the little packet of beef dog treats that I’d bought especially for Cosmo. His ears pricked at the sound, and he gobbled a few out of my hand. He still seemed a bit wary, but at least he wasn’t outright ignoring me now. “Good boy.” I said, ruffling his neck fur. “He really doesn’t seem like he used to be a bait dog.” I mused.

“He bonded to me pretty quickly.” Keith mumbled, scratching behind Cosmo’s ear.

_So did I…_ was what I _wanted_ to say.

“I can see.” I smiled. “Good thing you don’t have a girlfriend for him to get used to.”

Keith looked up, tilting his head to the side.

“What?” I asked in response.

“I guess you forgot.” He mumbled. “When we were drunk, I told you I was gay.”

“O-oh.” I stammered. I wondered how we’d gotten on to the subject of sexuality. “I must have forgotten.”

“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “I didn’t expect you to remember much of that night, anyway.”

“Did you recall anything else?” I pried. I still hadn’t decided whether he was lying to me or not, and it would be easier to tell in person.

“Erm…” He trailed off, looking down at Cosmo. “I might have done.”

“Are you going to tell me?” I said softly, clenching my fingers into my palms. I couldn’t tell him what I planned until I _knew_ I hadn’t said anything before.

“First, there’s something else I need to tell you.” He frowned, not meeting my eye. “It’s about your friend, James.”

“Oh, you mean Griffin?”

Keith nodded.

“What about him? Did he do something weird to you?” I demanded.

Keith looked up, shocked.

“How did you…? Never mind.” He shook his head. “I sort of told him that you were my boyfriend.”

_B…._

_Boyfriend…_

“W-why would you…? I mean…” I stammered, feeling my cheeks turn red. “W-we’re not…unless you…”

“Lance, calm down.” He said softly. “I did it so he would stop trying to date me. I’m not interested in him, and he wouldn’t give up. He even kissed me-“

“ _He kissed you_?” I growled, my initial shock turned to anger. “I’ll fucking kill him…”

“Lance.” Keith repeated, putting a comforting hand on my wrist. I was reminded how soft his skin was – soft and warm. I wondered if the rest of his body was as soft as his hands. “I’ve already dealt with it. The kiss happened ages ago, so you don’t need to kill him.”

“Fine.” I mumbled. “What did you remember from that night?”

“Erm…” He stumbled, turning red. “I…well…” He shook his head. “You got kind of upset over something, then passed out. Nothing else.”

Nothing else? I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. I _hoped_ he was telling the truth, but something inside me felt like I’d done something much more important that night, I just couldn’t remember.

“Ahh, sorry.” I laughed, pushing away the niggling doubt. “I’ve sworn off alcohol for the time being, so you don’t have to worry about me doing that again.”

Keith looked up at me with a playful grin.

“We’ll see how long that promise holds up.”

Chills ran over my body. I was in for a hell of a ride with this dude – and I looked forward to every minute of it.

I got home later on, heading straight into my bedroom. I was working the following day, and Pidge had warned me that if I was late one more time, she would have Hunk stuff me into a trash can for the day. I shuddered; her calculating and devious eyes reminded me of the Prodigy – or Lotor, as I now knew him. I hoped I didn’t have to see the guy again, outside of Race Night at least.

I peeled off my clothes and climbed into bed, feeling an item of clothing under the covers with me. I pulled it out, and realised it was Keith’s shirt. I’d forgotten to take it back to him when I visited, even though I’d washed it and folded it, ready to be taken.

I quickly texted him.

_Me: Hey buddy, I forgot to bring back your shirt. I’ll drop it off at some point this week._

_Keith: I just found your shirt under the cushion of the couch. We’ll trade when we next hang out._

_Me: Cool. Good night, Prince Leo._

_Keith: Shut up, loverboy._

 

~

 

After texting Lance, I climbed into bed, clinging to his shirt. I’d wimped out of telling him the truth again. It was becoming problematic. Every time I lied to him, I felt myself die a little inside.

I tried to shake off the feeling of pressing guilt and focused instead on trying to get some sleep. When I realised I was still clinging to his shirt, I’d already begun to fall asleep, dreaming he was there with me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They ended up both being short chapters oops


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance goes for lunch with Veronica; secrets are spilled.

“So,” Veronica said, putting the menu flat on the table. We’d finally arranged to go out for lunch after months of putting it off. “What have you been up to lately?”

“Not much.” I replied, pouring a glass of water. “Work, friends, work…”

“A lot of work!” She laughed, resting her chin on her hand. “I can’t believe my baby brother is all grown up.”

“How’s work been for you?” I asked. “Last time we caught up you said you were struggling to balance work and dating.”

“Same old.” She sighed. “Actually, while we’re on the subject of work, I’ve been meaning to ask something. Did you find out anything more about Race Night?”

I almost choked on my water.

“What? Why would you ask that? I don’t know anything about Race Night or Shadow. Nope.”

She cocked her eyebrow. “Who is Shadow?”

“Nobody! Nope.” I gripped my knees under the table. I was fine at lying over the phone, but face to face? She had to be suspicious – judging by her intrigued expression and narrowed eyes, I was certain she was on to me.

“Lance,” She warned. “I told you not to lie about this, _Lindo_.”

“Ugh…” I groaned. “I’m sorry, Vee. My friends told me I’m not allowed to talk about it. I promised.”

She frowned. I hated keeping things from my family – especially Veronica, who I saw the most because she lived so close. I wished I could tell her, but…keeping my word to Keith felt more important than my family right now. It reminded me just how serious my feelings were. I’d never put _anyone_ above my family before.

“I managed to talk to Acxa.” Veronica murmured, lowering her voice and leaning forward on the table. “She was still pretty drugged up from painkillers-“

“How is she?” I interrupted, trying to change the subject away from Race Night.

“She’s doing better, but that’s not important right now.” Veronica reached over and grabbed my hand. “She told me about Race Night, about the underground society, about _everything_. She also told me about White Shadow, and Leo, some of the other racers she knows.”

“So…you know, then.” I mumbled. “Damn, everyone else is telling the secret except me and Keith.”

“Keith?” She asked. “Is he a racer too? Wait, first of all – how do _you_ know about this illegal underground racing society?”

“Erm…” I tapped the table with my fingers. “I was sort of…dragged into it – but it’s fine! I don’t even race, I’m just there to stop my friend from being an idiot.”

“Your friend Keith? You never mentioned him before.”

“I met him for the first time that night.”

“That night?” She echoed. “Oh, the night Axca and Takashi were injured. I suppose his injury was related to racing, too?”

I nodded sheepishly.

“Well, Lance. You’ve really gotten yourself in deep.” Her tone was firm, but she squeezed my hand. “Deep into some of the coolest shit I’ve ever heard of. Dios mío, you should have told me, bro.”

“I’m…kind of in shock right now. Did you just praise me for being part of criminal activity?”

“Well, you’re not racing.” She explained. “So I don’t mind. Hang out with criminals, just make sure you’re safe.”

“Okay…” I breathed.

“Now,” She grinned. “Tell me more about this _Keith_. What is he like? What do you like about him? Is he _cute_?”

“How did you…?” I mumbled exasperatedly, the remembered that Veronica was one of the most observant people I knew. She’d probably realised I liked Keith before I even realised.

“He’s really cute.” I mumbled, blushing. “He’s cute and gay and his hair is kind of dorky but I love it and he’s got nice abs and he’s a cool biker…”

Veronica smiled warmly. “You’ll have to introduce me one day. You know you’re not allowed to date anyone until I give them my seal of approval.”

“How did you even know I like guys?! I only just realised.”

“It was _obvious_.” She laughed. “I mean, you used to do face masks with me and Mom all the time, not to mention how you once told us you were going to marry your teacher, _Mr_ McNamara.”

“Nope. Don’t remember. Didn’t happen.” I argued.

“Don’t worry.” She whispered. “It runs in the family.”

“What? What does?”

“Being bisexual.” She laughed. “You’re not the only one, you know. Everyone is shocked you didn’t come out sooner, to be honest.”

“I still haven’t ‘come out’, though. Actually saying it out loud is a lot harder than saying it in my head.”

“Well, say it now.” Veronica said, fiddling with her phone. “To me. You’ll never be able to tell his guy you like him if you can’t even say you’re bi.”

“Erm…” I rubbed the back of my head. “This is so _weird_. Why do I have to do this?”

“Because our society treats heterosexuality as the default, so anyone who doesn’t fit that description has to either live their life in silence, or proclaim their sexuality to the world.” Veronica grumbled. “Coming out as bi is even worse. People think we’re just _confused_ or _greedy_. It’s awful.”

“Okay.” I breathed. I could do this. It was just Veronica. I already knew she loved me no matter what. Plus, she already knew. All I had to do was say it out loud. “I am bisexual.”

“Congratulations, Lance. You’ve officially graduated from the closet.” Veronica said, waving over the waiter. “Two glasses of champagne. We’re celebrating.”

“Vee, that’s not necessary…”

“Nonsense! We have to celebrate!”

And we did. After champagne, we moved on to cocktails – at 2 in the afternoon – and somehow both managed to get home safe, while both at least a little tipsy. I sent Veronica a quick text when I sat back on my couch.

_Me: Home. Thanks for today V_

_Veronica: No probs little bro. Now you’ve just gotta tell the family hehe_

_Me: Shhhh not yet_

I laughed – admittedly feeling a little drunk from our impromptu mid-afternoon drinking session – and scrolled through my phone to see if I had any messages. As if by magic, one came in from Keith.

_Keith: Hey, do you want to do something this weekend? Shiro is having Adam over and I really don’t want to be in the apartment lol_

_Me: Sure! Wanna stay at my place for the night? We can order pizza and watch movies_

_Keith: Sounds like a plan._

He sent another text before I could reply.

_Keith: I’ll try to remember your shirt haha_

I laughed, glancing over my shoulder at Keith’s folded shirt on the counter. Part of me almost wanted to keep it, so I had an excuse to keep meeting up with Keith outside of Race Night. Sure, we were friends now, but I wanted to see him all the time. I felt like…the more we were together, the sooner I could tell him about my feelings, but every time it came to confessing, I just froze up.

_I hope your plan works, Veronica._ I thought, resting my head on the arm of the couch. She was right; I couldn’t tell Keith about my feelings because I still hadn’t been open about my sexuality. Maybe now I’d be able to tell him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Lancey boye still doesn't know he already confessed to Keith lol


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a party at his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for a hecka long chapter lmao

“I’m going out!” I shouted into the apartment, closing the door behind me. Shiro had invited Adam over _again_ , and while I approved of Shiro’s newfound happiness, I was also a little annoyed that they kept hanging out at our apartment, instead of Adam’s. I did _not_ need to be around when they were ‘hanging out’ – it was enough having to hear Shiro talk about it, but hearing them fucking in the next room was _not_ something I wanted.

Luckily, Lance had invited me to stay over for the night. I was a little worried about what might happen, since we seemed to get drunk every time we hung out. He’d _said_ he wasn’t drinking anymore, but I wondered how long it would take for him to break. Still, I was excited to see him again.

I pulled up outside Lance’s apartment and texted him to let me in. He hurried down the stairs to open the door, leaning awkwardly against the doorframe.

“Come in.” He panted, clearly out of breath from running down the stairs. I laughed and followed him up to his apartment, which was much tidier than I remembered. I hoped he hadn’t cleaned up just for me.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked, sitting at the end of the couch.

Lance planted himself down next to me, letting his arm fall onto the back of the cushions. I tried not to think about how he basically had his arm around me.

“Pizza? Movies?” He asked. “Games?”

“What kind of games?” I curled my legs underneath me. “Like, drinking games?”

“I was more thinking video games…” Lance laughed. “I’ve sworn off alcohol, remember?”

“I thought you were joking.” I teased.

“Hey!” He gasped in mock offense. “I’ll have you know I’m a very good boy who doesn’t get drunk very often. Except when my sister takes me out for lunch. Obviously _then_ we have mimosas.”

“Obviously.” I laughed.

“Erm,” Lance began, looking slightly uncomfortable. “There’s something I want to tell you. I should have told you a while ago but I just didn’t know how.”

My heart stopped. Was he going to confess again? Half of me wanted him to come out and say it again – but sober this time. The other half was completely terrified. What would happen after? I hadn’t had a really serious relationship in a long time, and I’d never liked someone as much as I liked Lance. What if he got to know the _real me_ and decided I wasn’t good enough? What if…

I clenched my fist. Lance _already_ knew the real me – well, most of it.

“What is it?” I said finally.

“Well, I-“

Lance was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Fuck.” He hissed. “I told them I was busy tonight.”

“Who is it?” I whispered.

“My work friends. They wanted to have a party here tonight, but I said no.” He shook his head. “I guess Pidge invited herself.” Lance stood up and walked over to the door. When he opened it, a small, energetic creature bounded through the door, followed by a hulking giant and-

“Matt?” I queried, looking at the guy who’d been to our apartment more times than I could count.

“Keith!” He cried. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other! I _have_ to tell you about the advancements I’ve made with my-“

“Stop being a nerd, Holt.” Lance taunted. “Talk about your sex robot another time. I told you guys I was busy tonight.”

“Busy getting laid…?” The small one teased.

“Pidge, I swear to _God_ I will end you.” Lance growled.

So the small one was Pidge – Matt’s younger sister.

“What?” She cried indignantly. “It’s the truth! Tell him, Hunk!”

“Katie.” The taller one – Hunk – said firmly.

“Ooh it’s serious. He’s using my real name.” She mumbled, almost jokingly.

“I love you, but I will absolutely take you home if you start being a pain.” He shot back, crossing the room to sit in the armchair.

“Okay…” She whined, grabbing a bottle of beer out of her rucksack and sitting on Hunk’s lap.

“Sorry about them.” Lance sighed, sitting back beside me. “Once they make up their minds, they’re pretty hard to handle. You still want to get that pizza?”

“Definitely.” I breathed. “This is the first party I’ve been to for a while, so it might be nice.”

“Wait, this is a party?!” Matt cried, pulling out his phone. “I’ll invite more people!”

“Please don’t.” Lance groaned. “C’mon guys, we’re fucking adults. We’re not supposed to have house parties anymore.”

His protests fell on deaf ears. Soon enough, our night of pizza and movies had turned into a full-blown party. Romelle from the café turned up, followed by Coran and Allura from Lance’s work. I was shocked to see Shiro and Adam walk in.

“What the fuck?” I cried. “What are you doing here? I left the apartment _specifically_ to get away from you two.”

“Rude.” Adam laughed.

“Matt invited us.” Shiro teased.

“You need to be resting.” I growled, leaning in close to him. “Your arm-“

“It’s fine.” Shiro assured me, sitting down on the couch where Lance and I had been sat. Everyone seemed to be having a good time apart from me. I remembered why I didn’t like parties.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, coming over to where I stood in the corner of the room. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I hate parties.” I growled. “Especially when I’m sober.”

“You don’t have to be sober.” Lance offered, pointing at the array of alcoholic beverages that had been brought to the party. “Parties are way more fun when you’re drunk.”

“Let’s play a drinking game!” Someone suggested. Everyone cheered, and somehow, I ended up being dragged onto a chair by Lance, who sat beside me on the floor.

“What are we playing?” Romelle asked, sitting up from where she’d been cozied up next to Allura on the couch.

“Truth or dare.” Pidge offered, her eyes devious. If I was being honest, that little gremlin terrified me. “Lance, you go first.”

“Hold up.” Lance protested. “First of all, I’m not drinking. Second of all – how is this a drinking game?”

“Well, you all have to be drunk to start with.” She went to the counter and grabbed two glasses of something that looked like window cleaner, passing one each to Lance and I. “It’s no fun if you’re sober.”

“Guys, come on…” Lance moaned. “I made a promise-“

I downed the glass of drink.

“Y-you…” Lance stammered.

“Your turn.” I challenged. “Unless you need me to make you do it.”

His cheeks went red.

“Nope.” He looked at the drink. “I…uh…ugh. Fine.”

He drank half of it, then coughed and spluttered.

“It tastes like battery acid!” He choked. “What the fuck is in this?”

“Vodka, tequila, absinthe…” She listed off. “Oh, and some blue stuff Romelle brought.”

“I’m going to die tonight.” Lance laughed, looking at me. His eyes were already a little droopy, and his cheeks were rosy.

I bit my lip. This party could _definitely_ end badly.

 

~

 

I wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow we all ended up playing truth or dare. I’d only managed to get down about half of the drink Pidge handed me – I wondered how Keith had managed to drink it all at once, since it tasted so bad. Maybe I was just bad at drinking. Either way, I already felt the effects of the danger cocktail, and with Keith around, I knew that probably wasn’t a good thing.

“Alright, Lance.” Pidge said. “Truth or dare.”

“Erm…” I shifted uncomfortably. I knew she was going to fuck with me somehow, but I didn’t know what I would prefer more: having to reveal a secret, or having to do something potentially degrading.

“I’ll go instead.” Keith interrupted. “Dare.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Finish Lance’s drink.”

Without hesitation, Keith took my drink from my hand and finished off the rest. He was a fucking _machine_.

“Shiro.” He said calmly, not a hint of emotion in his voice. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” Shiro said, his voice completely level. If I didn’t know better, I would think they were related. They both had the same essence of ‘cool’ about them. Nothing bothered them.

“Are you and Adam going to leave early to fuck?”

Several people choked on their drinks. Shiro only laughed.

“I mean…” He began. “Probably?”

Keith didn’t reply, instead coming down from the chair to sit on the floor beside me. His cheeks had turned a bit red; the alcohol was probably starting to hit him.

“Adam.” Shiro said. “Truth or dare?”

“Hmm…” Adam replied, smiling. “Truth.”

Shiro’s eyes twinkled. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

An echo of ‘oohs’ went around the room.

“Of course, dummy.” Adam laughed, kissing Shiro passionately.  Keith looked away, groaning. Coran, Hunk and Romelle looked like they were going to cry, while Allura and Matt clapped. Pidge looked confused; her little torture game had fallen out of her control.

The game went on for a little while, but luckily I wasn’t picked again. That was, until it was time for Pidge to take another turn.

“Lance.” She said, her evil little gremlin face contorted into a grin. “You know the drill.”

At that point, I was so far gone that I barely even registered what I said.

“Dare.”

Pidge cackled – though that could have just been my imagination, or the absinthe.

“Kiss Keith.” She hissed.

“What?” Keith said from beside me.

“I refuse.” I grumbled. “I never agreed to play this game anyway.”

“Lance loses!” I heard Pidge say as I retreated to my bedroom. I heard Keith arguing with someone, before appearing at my bedroom door, closing it behind him.

“I told them the party is over.” He said quietly, clasping his hands behind his back. “Hunk is taking Pidge and Matt home. Adam and Shiro left. I think Allura and Romelle are leaving too. Coran looked a bit worse for wear, so I think he’s going to sober up before he leaves.”

“Thanks.” I sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Keith came closer to me, standing directly in front of where I sat. At some point, he’d removed his plaid shirt, so that he was only wearing a black v-neck. It was a little loose, but I could see the tattoos that ran up and down his slender arms, coming all the way up his neck.

“I’m really sorry about tonight.” I groaned. “It was supposed to be just the two of us. I had it all planned out.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, inching a little closer.

“Well, I was gonna-“ I cut myself off. “Never mind.”

Keith breathed out heavily and crouched down in front of me, resting his hands on my knees. I felt my cheeks turn red, but I knew I could just blame it on being drunk.

“Lance, you were trying to tell me something before they all showed up.” He said softly. His own cheeks were still rosy. “Do you remember what it was?”

“I wanted to do it _sober_.” I groaned. “Stupid Pidge and that stupid cocktail…”

“Lance.” Keith said softly. “I promise I’ll believe you whether you’re sober or not.”

“I’m bi.” I said in a small voice.

“What?”

“I’m bi.” I said a little louder. I’d done it. The first step to confessing my feelings.

“You’re…oh.” Keith mumbled. “I mean…I kind of knew already.”

“You knew too? Gah…” I groaned. “Am I that obvious?”

“Well you did sort of confess to me when we were drunk.” He laughed.

“I _what_?” I mumbled. “Oh no. Oh god no. _Dios mío…_ how long have you known?”

“A few weeks.” Keith replied. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but then that battery acid happened.”

I grabbed at his hands. “Why weren’t you going to tell me?!”

Keith’s eyes widened and his cheeks went bright red. He looked irresistibly cute – but I had to stay focused! I’d confessed to him when I was drunk!

“I wanted you to tell me when you were sober.” He mumbled. “I was also kind of scared of having to deal with it. I was being completely selfish.”

We both fell silent. I didn’t release his hands, and he didn’t move from where he was crouched.

“A-are you still scared?” I ventured.

“A little.” He looked away. “I’m worried you’ll move on and leave me behind just like everyone else.”

“Keith…” I mumbled. I’d almost forgotten that he was an orphan. I couldn’t imagine always feeling like you were being left behind.

“I feel less scared now, though.” He assured me, looking back up at my face. “I…um…so if you _do_ like me, then why didn’t you want to kiss me in the game?”

“I wanted to be absolutely certain it was what you wanted.” I said, almost automatically. “Plus, I didn’t want our first kiss to be in some stupid game.”

His cheeks went redder.

“So…you do want to kiss me?”

“Of course I do.” I assured him. “Fuck, it’s all I can think about.”

“So…” He bit his lip. “Can I kiss you?”

“Do you mind our first kiss being when we’re both drunk?” I asked. I wanted nothing more than to be able to kiss Keith, and do other things…but I didn’t want him to regret it in the morning. I wanted to do this right.

“I’m not that drunk, Lance.” He mumbled. “I really like you.”

Before I had a chance to object, Keith pushed up from his crouching position and pressed his lips against mine, leaning his knee between my legs on the edge of the bed. He was gentle – almost painfully so. As he started to pull away, I released his hands and cupped his face, pulling him back towards me for another kiss.

I knew I had to stop, had to end it before we both did something we’d regret, but everything I had been holding back was bubbling to the surface. I could touch him in all the places I’d fantasised about, I could hold him in my arms and never let go.

We were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door. Keith leapt away from me, scampering to the other side of the bed.

“Lance, my boy.” Coran said through the door. “I’m heading off now.”

“Alright. Thanks for coming.” I shouted. Once I heard the front door close, I turned to Keith, who was red in the face and panting. “He’s gone.”

Keith sighed. “I forgot he was still here.”

“Me too.” I laughed. I looked over Keith; I really wanted to carry on, but I knew we were both enjoying ourselves too much. We were drunk, and I was not about to have my first gay sexual experience while drunk. “We should get some sleep.”

“Okay.” Keith mumbled, a little dejected. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Should I sleep on the couch?”

“Erm…” I began. I wanted him to be comfortable. The couch was far from comfortable, and I didn’t have a spare blanket. “Well, the couch isn’t too comfy. You can have the bed.”

“Where will you sleep?” He asked, hugging his torso. When I didn’t reply, he rolled his eyes. “You can have the bed. I’m used to sleeping rough.”

“Hey, no.” I argued. “You’re my guest. If you refuse to let me sleep on the couch, then we can just…share the bed.”

He didn’t argue.

“Okay.” He mumbled. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were rosy. It was going to be a feat to contain myself all night.

“Just sleeping, though. I might be drunk but I’m not a douche.”

Keith nodded, smiling a little. We changed: myself into some pyjama trousers and a loose t-shirt, and Keith into one of my oversized t-shirts – which looked insanely cute on him – and then climbed into the bed.

“So…” I began.

“So…” Keith echoed.

“Goodnight?” I said questioningly. My dick said otherwise.

“Y-yeah.” Keith mumbled. He looked just as uncomfortable as I did.  

I relaxed against my pillow, shifting and twisting until I found a comfortable position. Keith did the same, wriggling around for a few moments before huffing.

“I can’t get comfortable.” He mumbled. “Recently I’ve had Cosmo to cuddle me.”

I lifted my arm up from where I’d been laying flat on my back. “Come here, then.”

He wriggled closer to me, slotting himself underneath my arm. He fit perfectly.

“Goodnight then, Lance.” He mumbled sleepily.

“Goodnight.” I sighed, falling asleep unusually quickly. All was well – we were finally getting closer, and I finally felt good about my sexuality. We didn’t anticipate the dangers that lurked just over the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS NOT THE END


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night of drinking, Keith and Lance deal with the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long. I had no motivation! Should be back to daily updates now, though.

I woke restfully, glancing at my surroundings, for a moment not sure where I was. When I recalled that I’d stayed at Lance’s house, _in Lance’s bed_ , I remembered the events of the night before. Drunk and emotional, I’d confessed to Lance – and he had confessed back.

I carefully rolled on to my side, limiting my movement as much as possible so not to wake Lance, who still slumbered beside me. He was sprawled on his back, one arm stretched out across the pillows and the other resting on his chest. His sprawled arm had a red pressure patch just below the shoulder – no doubt from where my head had been resting the night before. At some point I must have rolled away, although recently based on the fact that his arm was still marked.

I felt my cheeks turn red as I stared at him, taking in every detail of his chiselled face and long neck. It didn’t feel real. Lance and I had kissed. We both liked each other. I knew Lance had been drunk, but two drunk confessions almost solidified the fact that he had to at least like me a little. Plus, he hadn’t pushed me away when I kissed him – he’d pulled me closer. Since I’d met him I’d wanted nothing more than for him to gather me into his arms and kiss me. Now that it had happened…

Part of me wanted to run away, to pretend it never occurred. I could blame the alcohol, or say I didn’t remember it. I had ways to get out of the situation, but…why did I _want_ to run away? Lance was a great guy; he was kind, caring, and generous to a fault. So what was holding me back?

Of course, I knew the answer. Every time I’d ever depended on someone other than myself, they’d let me down. I’d sabotaged more relationships and foster families than I could count on two hands, and refused to allow others to become dependant on me. If I made myself an island, nobody could hurt me – and I couldn’t hurt anyone, either. It was how I got through my childhood, and most of my adulthood.

Shiro was the only person I’d ever allowed to visit my island. I trusted myself to look out for him, but refused to let him take care of me – aside from him letting me live in his apartment. However, after his accident, I had felt myself shutting him out again. I’d let him and myself down. If I’d only done something differently that night, I could have prevented his injury. Perhaps if I’d never gotten into racing in the first place, he might have retired by now.

It had always been easy to shut people out.

So why was Lance any different?

Was it because he saw through my hard shell? Was it because he looked out for me in a way that he kept _himself_ safe, too? If I wasn’t careful, my lonely island would have a new full-time resident, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that.

“Hmm…” Lance groaned, stretching in the bed.

I quickly rolled over, pretending to be asleep. If he caught me staring…

“Keith?” He mumbled sleepily, patting at the bed. I felt him roll towards me, lifting himself up on to his elbow and leaning over to look at my face. “Are you awake?”

“I am now.” I mumbled, covering my burning cheeks with the blanket.

“God, you’re so cute…” He mumbled, chuckling to himself, then sighing back against his pillow. “I’ll go make breakfast-“

“Wait.” I snapped, rolling over to face him. “Uh…just…stay here for a bit longer. I’m not hungry.”

“Are you sure?” He asked. When I nodded, he stretched out his arm across the pillows again, fiddling absent-mindedly with my hair. I enjoyed it a lot more than I probably should have. “Do you…uh…do you want to talk about last night?” He asked eventually, glancing sideways at me.

“I…I don’t know.” I mumbled. “Do you remember everything?”

He nodded. “Yeah. For once, my memories aren’t hazy at all. I remember every moment.” His blue eyes fixed on me, drawing the breath from my lungs. This guy rendered me breathless with a single look. “In case you didn’t believe me last night,” He rolled onto his side so that we faced each other. Our faces were mere inches apart. “I like you a lot, Keith.”

 _Dammit_.

“Yeah…well…” I stumbled. “I…like you too…I guess. Idiot.”

_Good job, Keith. Call the guy you like an idiot. That will make him want to date you._

Lance only chuckled, reaching over to swipe a stray lock of hair out of my face. “You are the cutest guy.” Lance mumbled, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “I’m glad we got drunk.”

“Says the guy who was supposed to be sober.” I teased. I desperately tried to distract myself from the feeling of his fingers brushing my cheek, but it was all I could think about. I was reminded of his ridiculously large hands cupping my face the night before, and felt heat pound through my body. I grabbed his hand away from my face and inspected it.

“What are you looking for?” Lance laughed. “I’m not married, I promise.”

“Why are your hands so freakishly large?” I asked in reply, turning my gaze on him. It was his turn to blush.

“They’re not, though.” He mumbled. “Hunk has bigger hands than me. Your hands are just tiny – and very soft. Almost unusually soft, if you ask me.” He grabbed my shoulder, leaning closer. “What are you? A witch? Tell me your secrets!”

I laughed, brushing him off. As I moved forward while laughing, the tips of our noses brushed together. Both of us stopped moving, falling silent as we stared at each other. I’d never really looked at his eyes properly before. They were blue – in the shade, they were such a deep blue that they almost appeared black, but in the light, they shone the colour of the ocean. I could live a thousand lifetimes in those eyes, and still come back craving more.

“Can I kiss you?” He breathed, clenching and unclenching his fist beside his chest. I found myself clutching at the t-shirt he’d loaned me. I was completely surrounded by him, by his bed, by his clothes, by his home. Everything around me was _him_ , and I was drowning.

Yet…I didn’t mind. I was still an island, a lonely land mass. I was just surrounded by a deep blue sea, gently caressing my shores and keeping intruders at bay. I might be an island, but Lance was my sea.

“Just kiss me, idiot.” I hissed back.

~

Later, after Lance finally managed to drag me out of bed, I sat at the counter while he prepared some breakfast. I hadn’t even considered that he was a good cook. Shiro could barely cook toast, and I had gotten used to instant ramen and microwave dinners. Lance, however, seemed to know how to cook a hot breakfast, at the very least.

“How did you learn to cook?” I asked, resting my elbows on the counter and propping my head on my hands.

“My mom and dad taught me.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m nowhere near as good as Hunk, so you shouldn’t expect too much.”

“I haven’t had a home cooked meal in years.” I mused.

“What?!” He put down the frying pan and turned to me with his hand on his hip. “If not home cooked meals, what do you eat? Don’t tell me you live on take-out.”

“Ramen.” I mumbled. “And microwave dinners.”

“Nope.” He gasped. “Nope, that is unacceptable.” He slammed his hands on the counter. I could tell he wasn’t being terribly serious, but it still shocked my sleepy brain a little. “You are coming here for dinner at least once a week.” He demanded.

“But-“

“No ‘but’s. Bring Shiro if you must. Hell, bring whoever you want. I’m used to cooking for an army, so I don’t mind.”

“Fine.” I mumbled. “Once a week. Any more than that and Shiro will suspect something.”

Lance returned to cooking. “I guess you don’t want to tell him about us just yet.”

“Uh…” I began, but realised I didn’t really know what I wanted. I knew Shiro would give me a hard time if he thought Lance and I were dating, but if I just came out and said it, he wouldn’t be able to tease me. Then again, I didn’t even know if Lance wanted to be in a relationship with me, or if someone as broken as me even deserved someone as amazing as him. “Well…we haven’t really talked about ‘us’, so I don’t know what I’d tell him.”

“Well,” Lance put the food onto plates and joined me at the counter. “Let’s talk about it now.”

“O-okay.” I looked down at the plate piled high with food. “So…you like me. I like you. What happens now?”

“We don’t have to define what ‘we’ are just yet.” Lance mumbled. “I mean, of course I want you to be my boyfriend, but if you’re not ready for that then I’m happy to just come along for the ride.” He let out a small chuckle. “First and foremost, I’ll always be your friend. Your weird racing friend.”

I nodded. Lance seemed to know what I was thinking and feeling before I did. I needed some time to figure out why I was trying to run away. If I jumped straight into overdrive right now, I’d only end up sabotaging something really good, and end up losing Lance not only as a boyfriend, but as a friend.

“You’re kind of my best friend.” I mumbled, finally starting to eat.

“You’re my best friend too, Mullet-head.”

We both laughed a little, and finished the rest of our food quietly. We both had stuff to think over, and just being in the same room was enough to make us enjoy ourselves. When it finally came the time for me to head home, I stood by the door, wearing the shirt I’d loaned to Lance all those weeks ago. I’d _forgotten_ his shirt – and now I was glad I still had it. I wasn’t sure I could go back to an empty bed with no trace of Lance after spending a night surrounded by him.

“Thanks for breakfast, and…everything.” I said, fiddling with a strand of my hair.

“Remember to come over for dinner next week.” He teased. “Also, give Cosmo a treat for me.”

“You can always come to cook at our apartment.” I suggested. “That way you can see Cosmo yourself.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He grinned, leaning against the doorframe. He was still wearing his pyjamas, which showed off his muscular shoulders.

“Well…” I sighed. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait.” He said quickly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards him. In a seamless movement, he caught my waist and wrapped his other arm around my back, hugging me into his chest. I could feel every inch of his body pressing into me; his chest, his abs, his _dick_ … _god, how I managed to keep myself under control was a mystery._ “Please don’t avoid me again.” He mumbled, his words disappearing into my neck. I tried not to shudder from the tickle of his warm breath.

“Of course not.” I assured him, hugging him back before pulling away to place my hands on his cheeks. “I promise.”

“Thank you.” He sighed. “Sorry for grabbing you.”

I shook my head and kissed him – what was meant to be a quick goodbye kiss turned into him digging his fingers into the small of my back, and my own hands trailing down to brush against his neck. He shivered, and pulled away – he was _ticklish_. I’d have to remember that.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

“Stop apologising.” I laughed. “I’ll see you soon. Bye Lance.”

“Bye.” He smiled, closing the door behind me. The whole ride home, I couldn’t stop remembering how his body felt, how he smelled, the way his lips pressed against mine. _Soon_ , I thought. First, I had to get through my race with The Wanderer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID Y'ALL FORGET ABOUT THE STREET RACE PLOT?
> 
> cause i kinda did ngl


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is given a task by Allura. Keith has a disagreement with Shiro.

It had been three days since Keith stayed over, and I was still convinced it was all just a dream. A wonderful, amazing dream. We texted as often as we could with our busy schedules, and Keith had even started being nicer to me, which was unexpected.

Another unexpected thing happened at work. Allura called me in to her office, and had me sit opposite her at her desk. She seemed to be stressed.

“Thank you.” She said when I sat down, leaning back in her office chair.

“Am I in trouble?” I ventured, shifting uncomfortably. “Because it was Hunk-“

“This isn’t work-related.” She sighed. “It’s…to do with Keith.”

I straightened up.

“What about him?” I asked.

“Well, more to do with his upcoming race.” She pushed a lock of curly hair behind her ear. “In one week, Keith will be facing The Wanderer. While Keith is certainly skilled – he was trained by the best – The Wanderer is known for driving racers out of racing rings. They _always_ win, and nobody knows how. The fact that they are so anonymous makes them even more threatening.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with me.”

“Stop him from racing.” Allura said firmly. “I brought you to the canal that night because I had a feeling you would be able to protect him from people like The Wanderer. You’re the last person I wanted to drag into this, but you’re Keith’s only hope.”

“I think you overestimate me.” I breathed. “Keith is headstrong, and stubborn…he’ll never listen to me.”

“Lance, he already _has_.” When I didn’t reply, she shook her head. “The night of Shiro’s accident, you stopped Keith from killing Prodigy. Last month, he was the calmest I’ve ever seen him. You’re a great influence on him, Lance. He really listens to you.”

“Doesn’t feel like it sometimes.” I grumbled, but I knew she was telling the truth. Keith shook off everyone else as if they were nothing, but when I’d told him to stop hitting Prodigy, he’d done so without question. I knew it probably came down to him liking me, but even so.

“Please, at least try.” She begged.

“I’ll try.” I sighed. “He’s not going to want to back down from a challenge, but I’ll try.”

Allura smiled. “Thank you, Lance.” She sat up straight in her chair. “And thank you for that little get-together. I enjoyed myself quite thoroughly. I hope you didn’t feel too irritated by Pidge. I was quite surprised when you stormed out and Keith told us all to leave.”

“Yeah, he made sure I was okay.”

“So, he didn’t leave with the rest of us?”

“No.” I replied. “He stayed over.”

I instantly regretted admitting it. Allura’s eyes lit up, and a playful expression taunted me.

“Don’t say anything.” I groaned. “I’ve had enough of that from Pidge.”

“I won’t say another word.” She laughed, shaking her head.

Later on, after work had finished up, I headed back to my apartment, glad to have my car thanks to the storm that had blown in during the day. Merely moments after I’d sat down, I heard banging on my door. I opened it to see a red-faced Keith, soaking wet from the sudden downpour.

 

~

 

After Shiro and I closed up the studio, we headed up to the apartment, when I spread myself out on the couch with Cosmo curled up beside me.

“Who’s a good dog.” I mumbled, ruffling his neck fur. “You’re a good dog. You’re the best dog.”

He huffed in response, nuzzling my face with his nose before going back to sleep.

“You’ll never get bored of that dog, will you.” Shiro teased, sitting beside me. “I noticed you’ve even been sleeping with him recently – him and that _shirt_ you refuse to wash.”

“That shirt is none of your concern.” I snapped.

“This wouldn’t happen to be about Lance, would it?” Shiro teased gently, poking me with his prosthetic arm. “What happened when you stayed over?”

“Nothing.” I mumbled into Cosmo’s fur.

“Reeeaaally?” He pried.

“No.” I mumbled again. “Why are you even asking me this again? Didn’t you get a good enough answer when I came back?”

“No. You refused to talk about it.”

“Fine.” I sighed, sitting up. “I was drunk, he was drunk. So I kissed him. Nothing else. We’re _friends_ , Shiro. Nothing more.”

“Not _yet_.” Shiro added. “I do want to talk to you about something else, too. Your race next week.”

“What about it?”

“Well,” He said, rubbing his forehead. “As you probably guessed, I can’t really race any more. I’ll be announcing my retirement at the next race, before you face The Wanderer.”

“You’re retiring already? Don’t you want to wait and see if you _can_ race again?”

“I’m getting old, Keith.” He groaned tiredly. “Originally I planned for you to take over from me when the time came, but now…” He shook his head. “I don’t think you should race The Wanderer.”

“What?!”

“Reject the challenge. Of course, there will be a 3 month racing ban for backing out, but I’m sure if I talk to Chief-“

“Shiro, I’m not backing out.” I said firmly. “This might be my only chance to face this person. If I win, I’ll go down in history.”

“Nobody has ever beaten them.” Shiro retorted. “What makes you think you’re so different?”

I went silent for a few seconds, then leapt to my feet, grabbing my jacket and helmet and tearing down the stairs. It was pouring with rain, and lightning cracked overhead, but I couldn’t stay there with Shiro. He wanted me to _quit?_ I needed to get out and ride for a while. _Shit_ , the rain made it hard to see. I had to go somewhere I’d gone plenty of times before, somewhere I knew the way by memory.

 _Lance’s apartment_.

I tore away on my bike, skidding a few times from the rain on the way. Lance would surely understand. He was supportive. He’d never tell me to back out.

How wrong I was.

 

~

 

“Keith!” I gasped, stunned by his sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”

“I need some place to hang.” He grumbled, shaking off his wet coat and boots. “Had a fight with Shiro.”

“Right.” I mumbled, taking his coat and hanging it from the bathroom door. Even his shirt and trousers were saturated, and his hair was dripping at the ends. “You’re fucking soaking, man.”

“No shit.” He hissed, looking down at himself.

“I’ll grab you a change of clothes. Do you want to take a hot shower?”

He sighed, then nodded. I showed him into the bathroom, and explained the shower quickly before going to my bedroom to find him something to wear. I was so paranoid about finding something he wouldn’t mind, that I found I took much longer than I should have. When I finally came to put the clothes outside the bathroom, I couldn’t hear the shower running.

“I’ll leave the clothes out here. Just shout when you’re grabbing them and I’ll cover my eyes.”

The door opened. Keith was shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his waist. His inky black hair was slicked against his head, and his skin was dewy from the water.

“Thanks.” He mumbled taking them from me. I was stunned to silence by his boldness. How could someone be so against verbal affection, but walk around practically naked near his would-be-boyfriend.

“I-I’ll just hang out in my room for a minute.” I stammered, turning away and quickly entering my bedroom. I suddenly realised that we hadn’t been alone together since the drunk incident, and I was hyper-aware of everything I was feeling. Keith was naked in my bathroom. _Keith was naked in my bathroom._

There was a knock on my door. Keith slowly opened it, looking downright _irresistible_ in my oversized tee and track pants. They drowned him, and made him look even tinier than he already was.

“Hey.” I ventured.

“Hi.” He replied in a quiet voice, coming to sit beside me. I was consciously aware of the place his elbow touched my arm, and his thigh pressed against me. Still, we didn’t say another word to each other, both ignoring the heat that pulsed from our bodies.

 _So…_ I thought. _What now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HMMMMMMMMMMMM I WONDER WHAT THEY SHOULD DO NOW HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> c o n s e n t i s i m p o r t a n t

_Say something!_ I thought while Lance and I sat in silence. My hair was still damp from the shower, and I was surrounded by the smell of Lance’s shampoo. For a buff guy with short hair, he sure had a lot of hair and body products in his bathroom. It was like walking into a girl’s bathroom.

“So…” Lance said eventually, planting his hands a little behind him on the bed. “Do you want to talk?”

“About what?”

“I don’t know.” He mumbled. “Your fight with Shiro? Why you felt it necessary to drive here in a fucking lightning storm?” He paused. “Us?”

“Erm…” I began. “To be honest, I’d rather talk about us than any of those other things.”

I flopped back against the bed, grunting. Lance joined me, laying on his side.

“I know you don’t really want to talk about us.” He said softly. “You just don’t want to talk about Shiro.”

“Ugh…” I slapped my forehead. “I just…he can be so infuriating. He’s stubborn, and thinks he knows what’s best for me, and he’s making decisions for me like _all the time…_ ”

“He sounds like he’s being your big brother.”

“I don’t need a big brother.” I snapped, instantly regretting my harsh tone. “Sorry, Lance. I don’t mean to take it out on you. I’m just…frustrated.”

Lance grinned, then swung himself over me so that he was kneeling over my body, pressing my arms into the bed. My cheeks got hot; what the fuck was he doing?

“Lance…” I groaned. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to cheer you up.” He laughed, then sat back onto my lap, and- started tickling my stomach.

“Lance!” I shouted, wriggling and laughing. “S-stop it!”

“Not until you cheer up!” He laughed.

“Fine!” I groaned, and he released his hands. I quickly slithered out from under him, climbing onto my knees so that we were level again. “Are you happy now?”

“I got to touch you,” He joked. “So of course I’m happy.”

“What happened to just being friends?” I taunted, crossing my arms.

“Keith,” He began, laying back down. “You came to my house, took a shower, and then sat next to me on my bed. If anyone is trying to be more than friends, it’s _you_.” He paused. “Not that I’m implying you were _asking_ to be tickled. I just…well, I guess it’s harder to resist you when I know you like me too.”

I flopped down next to him, laying on my side so we were face to face.

“Do you know how hard I had to hold back?” He continued, rolling on to his back. “At first, I thought I was just jealous of you or something. It wasn’t until the day we were both at the hospital that I actually realised I was into you.”

“You went from straight to bi in a week?” I laughed. “That’s quicker than most people I’ve met.”

“When did you realise?”

“What, that I was gay? When I was a teenager, I guess.”

“No, when did you realise you liked me?”

“Oh.” I felt my cheeks turn red. “When I almost hit you with my bike, I guess. I thought you were hot. I didn’t really _like_ you until called me out on my mullet, though.”

“On anyone else, I’d hate a mullet.” He joked. “But on you, it’s gorgeous. Nothing would look bad on you, though.”

“Shut up.” I mumbled, poking his arm. “I…um…”

He turned his head to me. “What’s up?”

I bit my lip nervously. “I like you.” I said in a small voice.

“I like you too.” He laughed. “What brought that on?”

“I don’t know.” I mumbled. “I just wanted to say it.”

“You’re irresistible, you know that?” He said, rolling to touch my face. “How are you single? Wait, is it because you tell everyone to shut up, and call them stupid?”

“I don’t know, probably.” I groaned.

Lance paused, his cheeks turning rosy.

“You don’t…have to be single, you know.” His eyes danced over my face. “I…I really want you to be my boyfriend, Keith. I’ll wait until you’re ready, but I just wanted you to know that.”

“Lance.” I said softly. “Hurry up and kiss me, stupid.”

He closed the gap between us, letting his hand move down to my waist. I cupped my own hand around his neck and pulled myself closer to him, deepening the kiss. Heat pounded where he touched me, and I could feel myself getting turned on. Any more of this and I’d be-

Lance broke away, pressing his forehead against mine. Our hot breaths were coming quickly, mingling between our close faces.

“Why did you stop?” I breathed.

“I…can’t do this.” He mumbled. “Not unless we’re together. So if you’re not ready to be in a relationship with me-“

“I’m ready.” I panted. “When did I ever say I _wasn’t_ ready? You just assumed.”

“O-oh.” He stammered. “Then…”

I rolled him onto his back and straddled him before he could say another word, leaning down and pressing kisses into his lips. He reached up and scraped my hair out of my face, letting his fingers get tangled in the thick locks. I gasped against his lips when he caught a knot, pulling my hair a little. He pulled back, looking at me with concern.

“Sorry, did that hurt?”

“Idiot…” I mumbled. “I fucking liked it, okay.”

Lance bit his lip, then grabbed me by the waist, simultaneously sitting upright and pulling me onto his lap. He kissed me again, his fingers digging in to the small of my back. I let my hands rest on his shoulders, eventually twining them around his neck, begging with my body for _more_.

One of his hands gripped at the back of the t-shirt I wore, pulling it up slightly so the other could brush against my skin. I shivered at his touch, gasping against his lips again. Only this time, instead of stopping, he dug in his nails and scratched my back. That alone was enough to get me hard.

In response, before he could kiss me again, I quickly nipped his lower lip with my teeth, pulling gently on his lip before releasing it. His hand jumped to the back of my head, and he took a handful of my hair, pulling my head back and biting the soft skin just behind my jaw. His breath was hot and tickled my neck, and his teeth sent electricity through me. He bit me again; I let out a tiny moan of pleasure.

It was Lance’s turn to flip me over. He knelt over my body with his legs twined with mine. He used his elbow to prop himself up while he dragged his thumb across my cheek. His eyes were a little dazed, and his face was red. I could feel his erection pressing into me through his trousers.

“Do you want to keep going?”

I’d never noticed it before, but Lance was always checking to make sure I actually wanted to do things. He’d never once kissed me without consent. Nobody had ever cared for me like that before.

“Yes,” I breathed. “I do. Do you?”

“More than anything.” He laughed. “But…”

“But?”

“I can’t help but feel like we’re moving too fast.” He mumbled. “Or…maybe you’re just doing this because you’re upset about what happened with Shiro.”

“Lance.” I said firmly, pushing up onto my elbows. “Shiro has nothing to do with this. I like you – a lot. You like me. We’re both grown-ass men, so we should do what we want to do.”

He nodded, and leant down to kiss me again. He felt less sure than before, and didn’t really put in too much effort, so I pulled back.

“You’re still thinking about Shiro, aren’t you?”

He nodded sheepishly.

“Ugh….” I groaned, rolling out from underneath him. “Does it really matter that much to you?”

“Yes, because it’s upsetting you, and if something is upsetting you then it’s important to me.”

“Fine.” I snapped sitting up on the edge of the bed. “Shiro wants me to back out of my race against The Wanderer. Oh, and he’s retiring from racing.”

“He- oh.” Lance said. He shuffled on the bed and sat up next to me. “That’s sad that he’s retiring at such a young age. About the race, though…”

“What about it? I’ve never lost a race. I’ll beat whoever The Wanderer is easily.”

“Are you sure, though?” He ventured. “Because Allura said-“

“Fuck, not you too.” I growled. “Why is everyone trying to get me to back out?! That anonymous asshole can’t be _that_ good! Who cares if I lose one race-“

“Allura told me that the conditions for the race are that the loser can never race again.”

I went silent.

“S-so?” I mumbled. “I’ll win anyway…”

“But are you _sure?_ ” He repeated. “If you lose-“

“I won’t lose.”

“Keith…”

“Look, Lance. This is none of your concern.” I got to my feet and went out into the kitchen, grabbing my helmet from the counter and my boots from the doormat.

“Keith, where are you going? It’s still raining.”

“I don’t care.” I shot back. “You’re just as bad as Shiro.”

“Keith!” He said, but I had already left the apartment. I didn’t know where I was going, but as long as Lance and Shiro weren’t there, I’d probably be less angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all thought i'd do smut so soon? next chapter maybe we'll see


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to find Keith. Keith meets some new old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took ages lol

“Fuck.” I muttered, pulling my jacket on quickly. Rain still thundered down outside, and Keith was no doubt going to hop on his motorcycle and run away like he always did. I slammed the apartment door behind me and ran down the stairs, almost slipping on a puddle on the ground floor. As I pushed open the glass doors, Keith sped away, his tyres screeching against the saturated tarmac.

“Fuck.” I hissed again, running over to my parked car. I was practically soaked through by the time I pulled the door shut, and started the engine. “Where are you going, Keith?” I asked myself, pulling out of the parking lot and heading in the direction Keith had swerved.

The roads were quiet considering the time, and through the downpour I could barely see anything. I cursed myself for bringing up Shiro again. I could have just carried on, but I had to open my big mouth and upset Keith. Now he was riding about God knows where, in the middle of a storm, on a fucking bike – and it was my fault.

“Fuck!” I shouted, slamming my hands against the steering wheel when I hit a red light. He could be anywhere! I had no idea where to even start looking for him. I knew he wouldn’t go back to his apartment since he was fighting with Shiro, but other than that, I really had no idea.

I ended up driving around for a while, eventually stopping at a gas station to ask if anyone had seen him. I was surprised to see Griffin stood outside smoking.

“Lance.” He said pertly. “What brings you here?”

“Looking for Keith.” I grunted, leaning up against the wall beside him. I remembered that he’d tried to come on to Keith, and felt a bit uneasy. “Have you seen him?”

“Not since he did my tattoo.” He sighed. “Why are you looking for him.”

“Long story.” I snapped. “If you see him, tell him to call me. It’s too dangerous for him to be out on his bike in this weather.”

“Right.” Griffin nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

I nodded in reply, running back to my car and heading off. I had to find him soon, or he might end up getting hurt.

 

~

 

I pulled up outside a dive bar on the east side of town. I knew Lance would be following me, but he’d never expect me to go somewhere like this. I’d never even been somewhere like this. It was fool-proof.

That was, until I walked inside.

An enormous tattooed man stood behind the bar, wiping down glasses with a rag. He eyeballed me up and down, then slammed a glass down on the counter when I approached.

“You’re wet.” He said bluntly, crossing his arms.

“Yeah.” I replied, flicking water from my arms. Lance’s clothes were soaked through.

The bartender was still eyeing me, the tribal tattoos of his face glaring at me.

“Ulaz!” He shouted eventually. “Get some towels for this kid. He’s fucking soaked.”

“Sure, boss.” Someone replied from the back. A few minutes later, another guy appeared with a pile of fluffy towels. He tossed one over me and piled the rest up on the counter.

“Thanks.” I muttered, shrugging off my jacket and wrapping the towel around me. I looked around the bar; it was pretty quiet.

“So,” The bartender said, filling a glass with whiskey. “What brings you here, Leo?”

My eyes shot to his. He cocked an eyebrow and smiled.

“You think I wouldn’t recognise old White Stripe’s prodigy?” He slid the glass towards me. “You’re a damn legend, kid – especially after The Wanderer challenged you.”

“You know my name.” I began cautiously. “What can I call you?”

“You can call me Kolivan, kid. I won’t tell you my race name – we all wear masks for a reason, right?”

“Right.” I switched for a new towel. The cold had settled into my bones, so I was shivering. “Well, Kolivan, I’m here because White Stripe is a dick and Blue has no backbone.”

The bartender laughed. “You’re your parents’ kid, alright.”

“You knew my parents?”

“I did.” He nodded. “Tex was a damn hero. Your Mom...well, she didn’t really stick around. She had her own reasons for leaving, but it broke my heart to see you and Tex too much after that. Still, I knew her back before she even met your dad. You’ve got the same passion in your eyes as she had.”

I gulped back the whiskey hoping it would help warm me.

“Blue and White Stripe want me to concede against The Wanderer.” I mumbled. “I don’t want to back out. Its bullshit.”

“Well, they are known for destroying careers.” He agreed. “But if its something you feel like you have to do, then you should go all in. No point dancing around fate when its dangling in front of you on a string.”

The door swung open at the same moment lightning cracked across the sky. A female figure stood in the doorway, illuminated by the flashing sky.

“Krolia.” Kolivan said stiffly, glancing between the newcomer and me. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”

“Yeah.” She hissed, flicking rain out of her purple hair. She was imposing, and insanely tall. She definitely wasn’t someone you’d want to mess with. She sat on a stool at the end of the bar, cocking her head towards me. “Who’s the kid?”

“That’s Tex’s kid.” He grunted, furrowing his brow. “You remember Tex, right?”

Her head snapped towards me, her eyes wide. After a moment of looking me over, her gaze returned to the wooden bar.

“Nice to meet you, Tex’s kid.” She hissed, then stood up abruptly. “I’m going to the back room, Koli.”

“Don’t make a mess this time!” He shouted after her, rolling his eyes. “Sorry about her, she’s…got some stuff going on.”

“I’ve had weirder introductions.” I laughed. As I was about to speak, the door opened again, this time a male figure entered. He sauntered towards me, and I recognised him as-

“James!” I bleated. “Don’t tell me you come here normally?”

“I saw your bike outside.” He said, sitting beside me at the bar. “Surely this isn’t your usual hangout?”

“No, not usually.” I laughed awkwardly. “I needed a place to cool off and wait for the storm to pass.”

“Literally or metaphorically?” He asked, leaning against the counter. When I looked at him quizzically, he shook his head. “Lance is looking for you. I told him I’d tell you to call him.”

“I’m not calling him.” I grumbled, drinking a little more whiskey. It tasted a bit off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “He’s just following orders. Fucking asshole.” I knocked back the rest of the whiskey. Usually, I’d be able to handle it, but it hit me almost instantly. I felt dizzy and tired.

“Woah.” James said, putting one hand on my back. “You should really get home, buddy.”

“The storm…” I mumbled.

“I’ll drive you.” He replied, guiding me towards the door.

“Hey!” Kolivan shouted over the rushing in my ears. “Keith, do you want to rest in our back room?”

“Ye-“

“No, I’ll take him.” James grunted, and guided me out of the bar towards his car. The moment he released my back to find the keys, my knees buckled and I was on the floor. My vision was blurry and the rain wasn’t helping. Over the roaring in my ears, I heard tyres screech, and someone helped me to my feet, throwing me into the back of a car. When I got my bearings and peered out through the open door, I saw a figure in a blue jacket diving fist first into another figure.

I slapped my cheeks and tried to crawl towards the door, but ended up falling out of the car onto the pavement. From there I could hear the slap each time a fist met skin, and the grunting.

“Hey…” I mumbled, trying to crawl towards them. The one in blue looked at me – illuminated by the headlights behind him, he looked like an angel.

“Keith!” A familiar voice growled. “No, get the fuck away, Griffin!”

_Griffin?_ I thought. Who was that?

My entire body felt like lead. _Just have a little nap_ , my brain was saying. Yes, a nap, that would work. I rested my head on the wet pavement and let myself slip into oblivion. When I woke up for a moment, I was in the back of someone’s car, and then back into the blissful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Lance POV soon I promise. I'm just v into writing as Keith atm.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith recovers from an incident. Lance takes care of Keith.

I woke to the steady beeping of a heart monitor. My body felt like lead; my brain pounding against my skull like a drum. I managed to peel open my eyes and look around the bright hospital room. My initial thought was…how had I gotten to a hospital? Then I saw Lance curled up in a chair in the corner of the room, a towel over his shoulders and his hair sticking every which way.

I tried to say his name, but all that came out was a rasp. My throat felt like sandpaper.

“Keith…” He mumbled in his sleep, fidgeting in the chair but not waking up. His brow furrowed. “Griffin…”

“Lance…” I squeaked, trying to sit up in the bed. I winced as I caught the IV coming from my arm.

“Leave him…” Lance mumbled. “Don’t touch him…”

“La-“ I broke off, coughing. The loud noise caused Lance to jump awake, looking wildly around him for a moment before setting his eyes on me, and stumbling over to the hospital bed.

“Keith.” He said quickly. “How are you feeling? The doctor said-“

“What happened?” I croaked, pushing up onto my elbows.

“It doesn’t matter.” He said grimly. “All that matters is that you’re okay.”

“I’m _fine_ , just tell me what happened.” I rubbed my aching head. “The last thing I remember was being at the bar.”

“James Griffin drugged you. He wanted to take you away.” He said bluntly. “Kolivan tried to stop him, but he got you into his car. If I hadn’t…” He trailed off, looking down at his hands, which were wrapped in bandages. Bruises peeked from beneath.

“Lance…” I mumbled.

“I got there in time.” He choked, clearly trying to fight back tears. “If I hadn’t gotten there in time, if I hadn’t been able to save you…” His head dropped to the bed. “I can’t lose you, Keith.”

Rather than say anything, I reached out and placed a heavy hand on his messy hair. He looked up from the bed, his eyes a little watery.

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled, holding out my arms. He threw himself at me and twined his arms around my chest, his head resting on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.” I repeated.

“Don’t scare me like that again.” He grumbled into my shoulder. “Idiot.”

“Hey, don’t think I’ve forgotten the conversation that started all this.” I began, intending to tear into him but realising it was not the time or place. “Did the doctors say when I can leave?”

“Not yet.” He said, sitting up and wiping his eyes with his bandaged hands. I reached out to one gently, grasping it.

“How did you…?”

He held one up in a fist, grinning. “Battle scars. I fought off the bastard.”

“So you’re the angel….” I mumbled, remembering the man in blue I’d seen fighting the other person while I was drugged up.

“I don’t know about that.” He laughed. “I gave him a good beating, though. Nobody touches my boyfriend without his permission.” He caught himself, and turned red.

“So I’m you’re boyfriend, now?” I teased, trying to subdue a smile.

“Sorry, I know we didn’t really come to a conclusion-“

“Lance.” I interrupted. “I…want to be your boyfriend now. I always did.”

“Wait, seriously?” He grinned.

“Seriously.” I laughed.

Before either of us could say anything else, a familiar nurse entered the room. I couldn’t decide where I remembered her from, until Lance stood up and smiled at her.

“Vee.” He said – I remembered it was his sister, who happened to be a nurse at the hospital.

“I see Keith is awake.” She said, almost teasingly, looking over at me. “We haven’t properly met. I’m Veronica.”

“Hi.” I mumbled, shifting upwards in the bed.

“Well, Keith, since you’re awake, we need to do a few tests to see if the drug is fully out of your system. Once you’re all clear, we’ll be able to send you home.”

“Thanks.” I said. She took a few blood samples and checked me over, then left the room again. I looked at Lance, who was sat on the chair again, typing into his phone. When he caught me looking, he turned the phone to me.

“Texting Shiro to let him know you’re okay.” He mumbled. “By the time I got hold of him, you’d already had your stomach pumped, and he couldn’t find anyone to watch Cosmo for the night, so he stayed home. He says he’ll come in the morning if you’re still here.”

“Thanks, Lance.” I laughed. “You really do have everything under control.”

I relaxed back against the pillow and turned my head to the other side, where another chair was placed. I looked back to Lance before my eyes began to drift shut.

“Come sit over here.” I yawned, gesturing to the other chair. He came over to my side, and I twined my fingers through his before I fell asleep again.

 

~

 

Keith got the all clear pretty soon after his tests were done. It took him a while to get his strength back, so I was responsible for wheeling him back to my car. Once we were inside, we sat in silence for a moment.

“So…” I began. “Where am I taking you?”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, fastening his seatbelt.

“Well, I remember you were fighting with Shiro.”

“Yeah…” He replied. “Do I have to go back there right now? I’d rather wait until morning.”

“You can stay at my place?” I offered, starting the car. “That is, if you want.”

He looked down, blushing. “That would be better I think.”

“Okay.” I mumbled, driving off. We didn’t speak again until we arrived at my apartment. I parked up and turned off the engine, then realised the reason it was so quiet was because Keith was dozing against the seatbelt. I gently nudged him, and he shook himself awake, yawning and stretching.

“Sorry…” He mumbled. “I’m still a bit drowsy.”

“Do you still feel weak?” I asked, unfastening both of our belts.

“A little.” He yawned.

“Right.” I said, and hurried out of the car. When I opened his door for him, I passed him my door keys, then scooped his small body up into my arms. He barely weighed a thing.

“L-Lance, you really don’t have to do this.” He stammered, struggling against me.

“I want to.” I grunted, shifting his body in my arms. He instinctively wrapped his hands around my neck and gripped me, so I wouldn’t drop him. I had to admit to myself that it felt pretty good to be carrying my boyfriend – _boyfriend_ – and for him to be clinging to me. I just wanted to protect him and keep him safe.

Keith held out the fob to the entry lock, letting us into the main building. I almost struggled to carry Keith up the stairs, but I’d made it this far; I wasn’t going to give up yet. He unlocked the apartment door, and I carried him inside, placing him down gently on the couch.

“That was unnecessary,” He began, his cheeks red. “But thanks.”

“No problemo.” I shot back, holding up finger guns. “You want something to eat or drink?”

He looked at the clock on his phone. “It’s probably too late to eat now – and I’m pretty tired.”

“That’s fine.” I said. My stomach growled; I hadn’t had time to eat because I’d had to chase Keith out of my apartment. “I’m going to make myself something, so you can go ahead and sleep if you want.”

“I’ll wait up for you.” He yawned, laying back against the couch cushions. “If I can stay awake.”

I laughed, and started making myself a quick meal. By the time I’d finished eating, Keith had completely passed out on the couch, his head lolling back on the cushion. I stifled a laugh at his cuteness, and sat down beside him, nudging his arm gently. When he didn’t respond, I poked his cheek, then kissed it lightly.

Chuckling, I stood up and scooped his warm body into my arms, carrying him through to my bedroom. As I laid him back against the bed, I sat down beside him, brushing strands of long hair out of his face. He really was fucking beautiful. His pale skin was soft and smooth, and his ink black eyelashes were long and shiny.

I leant down and kissed his forehead gently. His eyes fluttered open lazily, and he rubbed his cheek, yawning.

“Hey, did I fall asleep?” He mumbled. He was fucking adorable.

“Yeah, buddy.” I said softly. “You wanna get changed into something clean?”

“Yes please.” He sighed, rolling on to his side and pushing himself up. I grabbed a clean t-shirt from my wardrobe, and when I turned back, he was wearing nothing but his underwear, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

I tossed over the shirt, trying not to blush while I searched for something for myself to wear. It wasn’t as if it was the first time we were spending a night in the same bed, so why was I so nervous?

I quickly changed into some pyjama bottoms and left my shirt off – it was a warm night, so I would be too warm with a shirt – and turned back to Keith, who still hadn’t put his shirt on. Instead, he was staring at me with rosy cheeks and hazy eyes.

“You alright?” I chuckled, walking over to the bed. His eyes followed me, and he bit his lip. “What’s up?”

“I just…” He gathered the shirt up to his chest, still not putting it on. “I remembered what was happening before I left.”

“You…” I began, confused. When I realised what he was referring to, I turned red, climbing under the covers. “Oh. Yeah.”

“We nearly…”

“Yeah.” I replied.

He wriggled back so that he could tuck his legs under the covers, then put the shirt down beside him, looking over at me.

“I wanted to.” He mumbled. “It wasn’t because of Shiro or fighting or anything like that. I wanted to, and I have for a while.”

“Keith, you’re still really drowsy.” I shook my head, grabbing the shirt from beside him and posing to pull it over his head. He caught my arm with alert precision, staring into me with intent.

“Lance.” He said firmly. “I want you. I have since we met. You can convince yourself its all fake, but the truth is that I lo-“ He looked down. “I really like you.”

“Keith…” I said softly, but he slid down the bed under the covers, pulling them up to his face. “Keith, put your shirt on.”

“No.” He argued childishly.

“Keith…”

“Not until you accept that I want you.”

I felt my cheeks going red. “Keith…”

“Do it.” He snipped.

“Fine.” I sighed, scooting a little closer to him under the mattress. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked down at him, still clutching the shirt in my hand. I was close enough that I could smell the hospital on him. “Tell me again that you want me.” I said in a low voice, my eyes not leaving his.

“I want you, Lance.” He said in a small, shaking voice. His deep eyes darted back and forth between mine, and heat was radiating from his body. He still looked drowsy, though. “I want you.”

Rather than say anything, I leant down and kissed him gently, stroking his face with my free hand. His own hands instantly grabbed my neck, pulling me in closer and deepening the kiss. I indulged him for a moment – admittedly, indulging myself, too – until I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop, and pulled back, thrusting the shirt towards him.

“Put your shirt on.” I demanded gently. “You need to sleep.”

“Fine.” He grumbled, pulling the shirt awkwardly over his head. He threw himself back against the pillows when he was done, and rolled to face me. I knew his eyes wouldn’t stay open for much longer. “Lance?” He asked.

“What’s up?”

“Will you cuddle me while I sleep?” He asked quietly.

“Of course.” I yawned.

Keith rolled onto his other side, letting me wrap my body around him. I could feel his ass pressing against my dick, and while it would normally be arousing, our harrowing experience today had exhausted me too much. I squeezed Keith tighter to me.

“Goodnight, boyfriend…” He mumbled sleepily.

“Goodnight.” I replied, letting myself fall asleep with my arms around the person I’d do anything to protect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She done wrote a long one.
> 
> Right we're coming in to the final mini arc of the fic, so: buckle up cowboys, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance runs into some trouble before race night. Keith does a big worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long...I've been busy with work and life ;-;

About a week had passed since Griffin had drugged Keith at the bar. I’d been trying to get hold of the former for days, but he wasn’t picking up his messages. I knew he was avoiding me – I didn’t blame him. I’d done a number on his face that night, and I was still bruised on my knuckles, so I knew his stupid angled face would still be looking less than perfect.

Allura had given me a few days off work to let my hand recover, and it was my first day back on the job. Pidge and Hunk had hundreds of questions for me when I walked in.

“Lance is back!” Hunk shouted, running over and scooping me up into his arms.

“Still injured.” I grunted; he’d caught my hand in the process.

“Oops.” He mumbled, setting me down and stepping back to stand beside Pidge, who had crossed her arms over her body.

“So,” She said, cocking her eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Do I have to tell you?” I asked sheepishly, setting my coat down in the break room.

“Yes.” She snapped.

I sighed and recalled the events of that night in detail – leaving out the fact that Keith had stayed the night afterwards. I knew we were officially boyfriends, but I didn’t want to have to deal with the teasing – not yet, anyway. I’d tell them eventually.

“Jeez.” Hunk said when I finished recalling the story. “So your old friend, who inexplicably has a crush on Keith, decided to follow him to a bar and drug him? I don’t mean to be rude, but he sounds like a stalker.”

“He _is_ a stalker.” I growled. “Keith barely made it out. If I hadn’t been there at the right time, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Pidge, who had remained quiet through the story, uncrossed her arms and rested a hand on my shoulder.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to see Keith in hospital.” She said quietly. “I…I thought you were just pretending to be sick to get some time off work, but to have gone through something like that…I’m so sorry.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Pidge?” I asked cautiously.

“Wow.” She groaned. “Way to ruin the moment. Hurry up and get to work or Allura will have all our heads.”

Hunk and I headed through to the garage and got to work. Even though I was keeping myself busy, I couldn’t help but worry about Keith. He was alone in the apartment – well, with Cosmo to keep him company – and since Griffin knew where he lived…

No, I couldn’t think about that. Keith had Shiro and Cosmo to keep guard of him. He’d be safe enough.

Later on, once I’d finished with work, I headed to the convenience store on my way home. It was race night again, and Keith was still insisting on racing. I knew I couldn’t stop him, so all I could do was be there for him. After paying and heading out towards my car, I saw a group of goons gathered in the parking lot – between me and my escape route. They looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Until a certain platinum-haired asshole stepped out from behind them, an unsettlingly calm smile playing on his lips.

“Lotor, what are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too,” He drawled, narrowing his eyes. “ _Lance_.”

My body went cold.

“What?” He teased, flicking his hair away from his face. “Confused as to how I learned your name?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I grunted. “Now get out of my way so I can go home.”

I moved to barge past the group of thugs, but they grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me into a vice grip. Lotor loomed over me, his arms crossed.

“Fine, you got me.” I growled. “How the fuck do you know my name?”

“Let’s say a little birdy told me.” He said in a lilting voice. “A birdy who’s goals happen to align with my own.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I said, struggling against the thugs. They were too damn strong – four on one just wasn’t _fair_.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He replied, his lips curling into a sinister smile. His thugs moved instantly, wrestling me into the back of a van. They held me down until the doors were closed, and we began moving.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” I shouted. “Let me out!”

“Shut up.” One of the thugs grunted, his hand connecting with my head with a thud. I reached out to hit him back, but my vision blurred as I fell against the bed of the van, slipping into darkness.

 

~

 

“No more beef, buddy.” I mumbled to Cosmo, who was begging at my feet. I was already in my riding gear; I was just waiting for Lance to come over. He’d asked me to give him a ride to the canal so he didn’t have to leave his car somewhere again, but it was getting late and I hadn’t heard from him.

Just as I was about to call Lance for a third time, Shiro opened the door to the apartment, ruffling his short hair.

“Keith.” He said, looking a little surprised to see me. “You’re still here?”

“Yeah.” I grumbled. “Lance still hasn’t shown up. I told him I’d give him a ride.”

“Oh.” Shiro mused. “I’m sure he’s just running late.”

“He’s not answering my calls either.” I began. Worry had been creeping in since that afternoon, when Lance hadn’t replied to my texts. He was usually really quick at replying, but I’d just assumed he was busy. When he didn’t pick up the phone, I knew something was up. “I’m worried.”

Shiro frowned. “Maybe he went ahead without you. Allura might have needed him for something. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Still…” I mumbled. I didn’t want to go in case he showed up to the apartment, but if he was waiting at the canal for me…

“Hey.” Shiro said firmly, putting his hand on my back. “Lance will be fine. If you’re worried about him turning up here, why don’t you text him to tell him you’re going ahead? I’ll be here anyway, so I can tell him where you are.”

“No.” I shot back. “If I’m going…I need you to come with me. I have a bad feeling about tonight. Something…feels off.”

Shiro paused for a moment, then nodded firmly.

“Alright.” He smiled. “I’ll come with you.”

 

~

 

The van was still moving when I woke up. I couldn’t be sure how long I was out, but I’d been moved to a seated position, and my hands had been tied.

“Hey!” I shouted groggily. “Untie me, bastards! Lotor! I’ll fucking kill you when I get free-“

“Stop shouting,” He called over the passenger seat. “Or my friends will knock you out again.”

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, a little more quietly. “And who is this ‘birdy’ who told you about me?”

“All in good time, my friend. For now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

I muttered some choice words under my breath, resting my head back against the side of the van. Two of the thugs were mumbling to each other; I shifted a little closer so I could head.

“…that girl.” One said.

“Yeah, it’s always about her.” The other replied. “He never got over her.”

“What was her name again?”

“Allura, I think.”

_Allura?_ I thought. _What could Lotor have to do with Allura?_

“Oh yeah, the one who owns that garage downtown.”

“He hasn’t been the same since she dumped him.”

“Shh.” One said, catching me eavesdropping. “Hey, idiot.”

“Who, me?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“No, the other dumbass tied up in here. Yeah, you.”

“What?”

“If you really wanna know who sold you out, think about someone you might have pissed off recently. This guy is _not_ happy with you.”

_Someone I pissed off?_ I thought. The only person who came to mind was….

_Griffin._

That _BASTARD_.

How did he even get in contact with Lotor? That didn’t matter right now. Griffin was a fucking psycho, and so was Lotor, apparently. I had to get out of here. I had to contact Keith. I had to…

“We’re here!” Lotor sang from the front seat. The van trundled to a halt. I could smell exhaust fumes from the open passenger side door – we had to be at the canal. Just as I was about to shout for help, one of the goons stuffed a gag into my mouth. Lotor appeared at the back doors, grinning with satisfaction.

“Get comfortable, Lance.” He droned. “And enjoy the show.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a choice to make.

Shiro and I pulled up in the canal. Music was already blaring from somewhere, and most of the usual suspects had gathered, talking amongst themselves. The Chief’s car was parked in its usual spot, with Princess standing nearby, looking around anxiously. When she saw Shiro and I remove our helmets, she waved us over.

“What’s wrong?” Shiro asked, putting a comforting hand on her arm.

“It’s Blue.” She said quietly. “I haven’t heard from him since he left work this afternoon. He was supposed to update me hours ago.”

“I _knew_ something was up.” I hissed.

As Allura was about to speak, I heard the sound of an engine roaring through the canal. A biker clad in black and purple parked themselves off to the side, holding up their hand at Allura.

“It’s time.” Allura mumbled, looking at the unfamiliar biker – who had to be The Wanderer. Allura walked into the centre of the canal, holding her hand up to silence the gathered people.

“Tonight’s city race will be-“

“Wait!” A voice called from behind a parked truck. The Prodigy appeared, his platinum hair shining under the headlights of the gathered cars. “I think you’ll want to wait a moment before you make any announcements.”

Allura seemed visibly irritated.

“What makes you think you have the right to interrupt an announcement dictated by the Chief?”

Prodigy grinned.

“I challenge Leo. One lap. All-or-nothing rules.”

Allura folded her arms. The Wanderer, who had not moved from beside their bike or even removed their helmet, cocked their head to one side.

“Leo has already been challenged tonight. You’ll have to wait until next month.”

“I think you might change your mind when you see what I have in the back of my van – or rather…who.”

He banged on the side of the truck. Two goons dragged out a tied and gagged-

_Lance._

He looked…terrible. His head was all bruised up and his clothes were hanging awkwardly from his body, as if they’d been moved out of place.

“Let him go!” I screamed, bolting forward to where the Prodigy and his goons held Lance. Shiro caught my arm; though with him only having one arm available, I managed to yank myself away. Before I got close, two pairs of hands seized each of my arms. I whipped around to see Zethrid and Ezor, each holding one of my arms.

“Let me _go_!” I growled.

“Look.” Ezor mumbled, nodding towards Lance. Another figure stood behind him, holding a gun to his head. I could barely stop the tears prickling my eyes when I saw his face – James Griffin.

“Leo must forfeit his race against The Wanderer and accept my challenge instead. If he doesn’t, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop my friend Griffin here from carrying out revenge against his old friend.”

My eyes met Lance’s. Even in that situation, he looked calm. He shook his head at me, as if to tell me not to give in. Then I looked at Griffin, who’s face was stony and eyes dark as tar. He…would not hesitate to kill Lance, even if it meant he would be punished by the law. I hadn’t seen it before, but James Griffin was…terrifying.

I turned my gaze to The Wanderer, who seemed to be staring at me intently. I held their gaze for a moment, until they broke off and walked towards Allura, saying something to her then returning to their bike.

“It seems…” Allura began. “That Leo has a choice to make. The Wanderer will not return to race here again if Leo forfeits…therefore, Leo, you must decide. Will you race The Wanderer, or The Prodigy?”

I shook off Zethrid and Ezor, and walked calmly towards where Prodigy stood.

“Release him first.” I growled.

“Do you think me an idiot?” Prodigy laughed.

“Fine.” I grumbled. “Then call off Griffin. If I refuse, you can just call him back, right?”

Prodigy cocked an eyebrow.

“Very well.” He said softly. “If you win, you will have your precious Blue returned to you – safe and sound. If _I_ win…” He grinned. “I will allow Griffin to kill him.”

“That wasn’t the deal.” I hissed. “You said all I have to do is race you.”

“I never specified how you would save him, dear Leo.” He laughed. “So, do we have a deal?”

“Fine.” I said quickly. I knew if I took the time to think, Griffin could just shoot Lance and be done with it. All I had to do was win the most important race in my life. “I’ll race The Prodigy.”

“Very well.” Allura announced. “Leo concedes from his race against The Wanderer. To change our usual program, we will begin with a single-lap race of the canal. All-or-nothing rules are in effect. Loser can never return.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as Prodigy and I prepared to race. Shiro approached with my bike and helmet; he looked concerned.

“Are you prepared?” He asked quietly, passing my helmet.

“Of course.” I nodded, punching my Kevlar-protected chest. “I’m going to win this and get Lance back.”

“Be careful.” He said finally, walking back to where Zethrid and Ezor now stood with…Axca? When had she gotten out of hospital? I couldn’t think about that. I had to focus on the race.

Allura readied herself in the centre of the canal. I stole a glance back at where Lance was stood. Griffin had moved away, luckily, but Lance was still being held by the goons. I bit my lip anxiously. Maybe it was all a trick. Maybe…when I raced away with Prodigy, Griffin would just kill Lance anyway. Maybe…

No.

I had to stay positive.

If I could win this race, then Lance would be safe.

Allura raised her arm into the air.

We started our engines.

Her hand dropped.

We sped away from the starting line, neck in neck for the first corner. Prodigy edged away from me; I accelerated to catch up, and found myself wobbling slightly from the speed. It was a tactic I’d seen him use before – edging into the lead ever so slightly, to make his opponent more reckless. Well, it wasn’t going to work on me. I kept a steady speed, even though I was slightly behind. I knew if I just held out until the next turn, I could…

Yes!

I sped up at the last minute, swerving in on the curve and just overtaking Prodigy. His engine revved behind me as he frustratedly tried to speed up. We were nearly at the finish now, just a few hundred yards. I was in the lead.

My stomach turned when Prodigy lurched forward at the last minute. He was going to win. He was about to cross the finish line.

I swallowed my fear and accelerated again, pushing my bike as far as it could go. We were neck-in-neck now, only metres from the finish. I gave one last push-

My bike flew out of control. I manged to dive away before I was caught beneath it as it went skidding towards the edge of the canal. I hadn’t been able to tell who won…had I edged out Prodigy?

I looked at Allura, who was conferring with Chief through the window of the land rover. Shiro was racing towards where I was hunched on the ground, followed by Zethrid, Ezor, Acxa, and a girl wearing a mask. I hadn’t seen her around before.

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked anxiously. “Did you hit your head?”

“I’m fine.” I grumbled, shrugging off his hand. “Did I win?”

I was met with silence.

“ _Did I win_?”

Shiro and Axca exchanged a glance.

“We don’t know.” She said quietly. The girl who was with her gripped her hand tightly. Her gaze hadn’t moved from Lance. I tried to remember where I’d seen her before, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. “It was close.”

“How close?” I asked, cold seeping into my bones.

“Very close.” Ezor replied.

“We have a verdict!” Allura shouted from the centre of the canal.

I clambered to my feet, casting a glance back to where Lance was stood between the thugs.

“Our winner, by just a fraction,” She looked at me. The pause was agony. “Is Leo.”

My body crumpled to the floor with relief. The chatter raised in the canal once again as Allura returned to the car. Prodigy looked furious as he was escorted out of the canal, along with his goons.

I raced towards Lance, who’d been deposited on the ground by Lotor’s posse before they were removed. I fumbled to untie his hands, knowing that if I met his eyes, mine would start streaming with tears.

“Keith…” He mumbled, but I didn’t respond. “Keith, look at me.”

I shook my head, continuing to fumble at his tied hands. The knots were fucking _tight_.

“I cant…” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m not….”

“Keith.” Lance said once more, his voice soft – almost painfully so.

I bit my lip and stopped fumbling at the knots. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, then finally looked up at him. His dazzling blue eyes were calm, steady, and full of love.

“I’m sorry.” I breathed, feeling the tears start to form in my eyes. “I…it’s my fault that you got kidnapped. I shouldn’t have let you get close to me.”

“ _Keith_.” Lance said firmly, raising his tied hands to tap my chin up, forcing me to look at him. “I love you.”

“Lance…” I whimpered, letting my head fall onto his shoulder to cover the tears streaming down my cheeks.

“You did it.” He breathed into my ear. “You saved me.”

“Shut up.” I sobbed into his shoulder. “Big dumb idiot.”

“Hey, is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?” He chuckled softly. “We had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms.”

“ _Shut up_.” I groaned, subduing a laugh. I sat back up straight and wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

“So…” He mumbled. “Are you gonna untie me? Or…”

“I think you’d better stay tied up.” A familiar voice growled from beside us. My stomach dropped when I saw Griffin stood a metre away, his gun aimed at Lance.

“J-James…” I began, but his insane, furious eyes darted to me. His face looked terrible, as if he’d been hit repeatedly with a metal object. I remembered Lance had said he’d beat him up…but I’d never imagined it would be _that_ bad. No wonder the guy was pissed off.

“Stop talking.” He growled. As he opened his mouth to speak again, a figure in black came from behind me and launched himself at James, wrestling the gun away from him.

“Kolivan!” I sighed when I saw the familiar bartender.

“Don’t touch the kid _or_ his boyfriend.” Kolivan growled into James’ face. “Or you’ll have _me_ to deal with.”

He stood from where he’d pinned James, removing the mag from the gun and tossing it away. After a frightened glance at Kolivan, James scampered away from us, disappearing into the night. Kolivan helped Lance and I to our feet, then quickly untied Lance’s knots.

“Thanks.” Lance laughed.

“No problem.” Kolivan replied. “To return the favour, how about you buy a few rounds at my bar.”

“You’ve got it.” Lance answered.

Kolivan smiled, patting Lance on the arm and nodding courteously at me before he walked off, leaving Lance and I alone again.

“I’m sorry.” I said again. “I…shouldn’t have let you get dragged into this.”

“Keith, you can be a real idiot sometimes.” Lance shook his head. Before he could say anything else, his eyes focused on a spot behind me. “V?” He said, and started towards where Acxa stood with the new girl. I began to follow him, but someone caught my arm. I turned back, expecting to see James had returned, but instead saw the familiar helmet of The Wanderer.

“Can we talk?” They asked, their voice more feminine than I’d assumed. Something about it seemed almost familiar.

I paused for a moment, then nodded, following them away from the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEARLY FINISHED OH LORRDDDD


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith meets someone he thought he'd never see.

“Keith, you can be a real idiot sometimes.” I laughed, shaking my head. I was about to say something flirty when I saw a familiar face in the crowd. Although she was wearing a mask, there was no mistaking her. “V?” I mumbled, heading for her.

What was my sister doing at race night? I knew she knew about it, but to think she’d actually show up? Before I got too close, I noticed who she was standing with – or, more accurately, stood uncomfortably close to.

“A- Shadow?” I scoffed, and started running towards them. Veronica tried to hide behind Acxa, but I’d already seen her.

“Blue!” Acxa said quickly, grasping my arm and scurrying away from the crowd.

“You’re out of hospital? And V, what are you doing here?”

“First things first,” Acxa interrupted. “What’s been happening lately? Damn, I’m out of commission for 2 months and Prodigy turns psycho…well, more psycho than usual.”

“That’s not important right now.” I shook my head. “Why did you bring my sister here?”

The girls looked at each other for a moment, their expressions unreadable.

“Well, she wouldn’t let me come on my own.” Acxa said sheepishly. “I only got out of hospital a few days ago. She’s way too protective.”

“Stop it.” Veronica laughed, nudging Acxa with her elbow. “I haven’t told him yet.”

“Told me  _what_?” I pried, folding my arms.

“Niño…” Veronica began, but Acxa interrupted her by pointing behind me.

“Blue, isn’t that Leo talking to The Wanderer?” She hissed.

I whipped around to where she was pointing. Keith was climbing out of the canal, following the mysterious figure known as The Wanderer. I started towards him, but Acxa caught my arm. Her eyes were knowing.

“Leave it.” She said softly. “Trust me – they need to have this conversation.”

I clenched my jaw, but didn’t make a move towards Keith. If he wasn’t back soon, I’d go after him. For now, I’d just have to trust that Acxa knew what she was talking about.

~

I followed The Wanderer out of the canal to where a couple of cars were parked, racking my brain all the while to see if I could remember where I’d heard their voice before. It was unmistakably feminine, but it didn’t sound like any voice I knew well. It had to be someone I barely knew, but had met recently.

“So, what do you want to talk to me about?” I asked when she’d leant up against one of the cars. She didn’t make a move to remove her helmet, instead crossing her arms over her body.

“I’ve waited a really long time to come back to this place.” She began, her voice brimming with nostalgia. “I grew up here, y’know? Its my hometown. These people,” She gestured to the people in the canal. “I knew their parents, their mentors. I remember when the original Chief was still around. Sure, a few of the oldies are still around, but most of them have moved on – just like I did.”

“Who are you?” I said quietly.

She fell silent, pausing for a moment before removing her helmet. She shook out her purple hair, her golden eyes narrowed.

“Krolia? From the bar?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Nice memory, kid.” She paused; her face was void of emotion, but her eyes betrayed the pain underneath. She pointed at my belt buckle – it was black and purple with some kind of tribal symbol on it. “Did you get that from Tex?”

“Oh…yeah.” I replied. “He gave it to me when I was a kid.”

“Right.” She smiled bittersweetly. “I…uh…I knew Tex - your old man. I actually gave him that buckle back in the old days. I knew the guy better than I knew my own family.”

“That makes one of us.” I mumbled. “I spent most of my life in the foster system.”

“Shit.” She hissed. “Well that makes this even harder to admit.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She grunted, rubbing her temples. “Your old man was…he was a good guy. A good, solid man. I mean, fuck! I  _loved_  the old bastard. Still, I…I let him down. I let you both down.”

“What do you mean?” I stammered. What was this woman talking about? It was as if she’d done something to me and my dad, but…I’d never met her.

“Keith, your dad and I…” She trailed off, lowering her head so that her hair fell over her face. “I’m not just The Wanderer, alright. I’m…” She looked up at me. “I am your mother.”

I was struck dumb for a moment. This woman I barely knew…this woman who had challenged me to a race…who I’d spoken to once…was my mother? She had to be joking around. It had to be some kind of prank.  _No way_  this stranger was my…

“Right, good one.” I snapped. “Not a very funny joke if you ask me…”

“Its not a joke, Keith.” She said, her face completely serious. She pushed up from the car and came a little closer, halting when I flinched a few steps away from her. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner. I just…I wasn’t ready to be a parent. I came back as soon as I heard about Tex, but…by then it was already too late. I’m sorry…”

“N..no.” I stammered. “No, you don’t get to apologise. I don’t  _know you_. You  _cant_  be my mom.”

“I understand that this is a lot to process.” She mumbled, her voice shaking a little. “If its easier for you, I can just disappear again, and we can pretend this never happened, but I want-“

I reached out for her hand automatically, then quickly relinquished my grip.

“I…I think I need some time to process.” I breathed. “But don’t…don’t disappear on me again.”

She frowned.

“I can’t stick around, Keith. I’ve pissed off a bunch of people in this town.” She squeezed her hands together. “I…I’ve done some shit I’m not proud of, but that doesn’t mean its not too late for  _you_  to be someone better. I came here and challenged you because I wanted you to give up racing. Its dangerous and illegal and I  _never_  wanted you to be dragged into this world.”

“I just wanted to be closer to my dad.” I mumbled. “Plus, I love going fast.”

She cracked a smile. “That’s my boy.”

An engine revved in the canal below, shocking us out of our moment.

“I…I should go.” She muttered, pulling her helmet back on.

“Wait…” I grabbed her arm. “I…how can I find you?”

“Go to Kolivan.” She said through her helmet. “If I’m in town, I’ll be staying in his back room. If I’m not, he can get in contact with me.” She pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry for everything, Keith. Most of all for leaving over and over again. Maybe one day we can be a normal family.”

“I’d like that.” I mumbled into her shoulder.

She put me at arm’s length. “Good.” She nodded and started away towards where her bike was parked in the canal. “Next time, introduce me to your boyfriend!”

I watched her drop down into the canal. At the same moment, Lance climbed over the brim, his brow furrowed with worry.

“Are you okay?” He asked. “I saw you leave with The Wanderer and…” He looked around. “They’re gone?”

“Were they ever here to begin with?” I teased, punching his arm lightly. “Fuck…I’ve got so much I have to tell you.”

“Can we do it somewhere else?” Lance laughed. “I  _really_  need to lie down after the night I’ve had.”

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, looking up at him.

“What?” He laughed, hugging me back.

“Nothing.” I mumbled, burying my face in his chest. I wasn’t about to admit that I almost told him I loved him. “I’m glad you’re safe.” I mumbled into his shirt.

“I’m glad we’re _both_  safe.” He replied. “Now let’s go back down there and  _go home_. My head hurts.”

~

After saying goodbye to everyone, Keith and I hopped on the back of his bike and started towards my apartment. When we arrived, Keith came in and perched on the arm of the couch, while I threw myself back onto it.

“I should get going.” He yawned, stretching his arms out. “Its been a long night and you probably want to get some sleep.”

“Hey, wait.” I said, pushing up onto my elbows. “You said you have a lot to tell me. I’m not that tired.” I grinned. “Plus, when did I say anything about sleeping?”

Keith’s face turned red. “O-oh.” He scraped his hair back in an effort to look cool. “W-well I guess I can stay for a while, then.”

“Come here.” I laughed, scooting to the side so he could sit in the curve of my body. He came over and perched at the edge of the couch, relaxing against my body after a moment. He seemed shier than usual. “So, what do you have to tell me?”

“Well…” He began, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I don’t think I told you before…but I never knew my mother, and my dad died when I was a kid. Well…I met my mother tonight.”

“Wait, really?” I sat up. “That’s amazing!”

“Don’t get too excited.” He laughed. “I can’t tell you who she is yet, but I promise you’ll meet her one day.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all this.” I mused, resting my hand on his lap. “I cant imagine how weird it must be to meet your mom after so long.”

“Yeah…” He breathed.

“Do you need a hug?”

He nodded and dived on top of me, somehow managing to slide between my body and the back of the couch. His leg was wrapped over my hip, and his arms were around my neck.

“Hmphhmphhmph.” He mumbled into my shoulder.

“What was that?” I asked teasingly, pulling back so I could see his face. His cheeks were red and his dark eyes were wider than I’d seen them before. Before I could say anything, he leant forward and kissed me – not a deep or erotic kiss, but one filled with affection and appreciation. When he pulled back, he leaned his forehead against mine and smiled.

“I said I love you.” He breathed, a hint of a smile in his voice.

I bit my lip, trying to fight off a grin.

“About time.” I sighed and kissed him back. Everything was right in that moment. The world around us had finally caught up, and everything was beginning to make sense. Keith had a family, I knew who I was, my sister had a  _girlfriend_ , and the only people who had ever posed a danger to us were finally out of our lives. I loved Keith, and he loved me, and those little words were just the beginning of the rest of our lives together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the official end of Gasolina! I might write some after story so hit me up in the comments with ideas of one-shots and scenarios you'd like to see in the Gasolina AU. Please also check out my instagram @thelesbianauthor and @gasolinaklanceau for more info on the afterstory and other AU fics I will be writing. I hope you all enjoyed this journey!


	36. Mini-fic 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance go on their first double-date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Hey guys! These 'mini-fics' will be little side stories and DITL snapshots while I get ready to write something a bit more story heavy....I'm not saying Gasolina 2 but....Gasolina 2?!?!? I'll keep y'all posted. Hit me up in the comments if you want G2 <3

"Lance, you ready?" I called from the bathroom, scrubbing the dust and sweat from my face. "We're meeting the others in half an hour!"

"Give me a few more minutes, mi amor." Lance replied, appearing from my bedroom with his shirt unbuttoned, and a tie slung around his collar. His hair was still damp, dripping down his face in rivulets of hot water. I felt my cheeks go hot; even though I got to see Lance's gorgeous body almost every day, it still drove me crazy every time.

"O-okay." I replied, running my hair under the tap for a few minutes before rubbing it dry. We'd been out on my bike all afternoon, and were now getting ready for our first double date as a couple - with Veronica and Acxa no less. 

"How do I look?" Lance asked, appearing at the door now fully clothed. His white shirt was buttoned halfway up, and he'd forgone the tie in favour of a cropped-sleeve blazer and black skinny jeans. 

"Great, as always." I mumbled, my cheeks going red again. "I'll be ready in a second. Could you check on Cosmo while you wait?"

"Of course, babe." He smiled, heading towards the kitchen. Cosmo usually slept in my bedroom, but since Lance had been staying more often, we'd bought him a dog-bed for the kitchen. Not that Lance minded dogs - my bed just wasn't big enough for all 3 of us.

I ruffled my hair one more time, and shrugged on a leather jacket over my long-sleeved black shirt, then followed Lance to the kitchen. He stood up when I approached, raising his eyebrow pointedly at me. 

"What?" I demanded, crossing my arms. "Is it too casual?"

He came towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You look perfect, Keith." He said softly, staring at me with his dazzling blue eyes. "As always."

I blushed heavily, pressing a kiss into his lips. He pulled me closer, taunting me with his hard body, slipping his hands under my jacket and tracing the lines of my back with his skilled fingers. I had to fight every urge in me and pulled back from him, breathless and flushed.

"Let's go." I breathed, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "Before I change my mind."

Lance winked, and followed me out to the car. He drove us to a Mexican restaurant on the other side of town. When we entered, I saw Veronica and Acxa waiting for us at a table. Veronica waved us over.

"Hey! It's so great to see you guys!" She said excitedly, gesturing for us to sit down. Acxa stayed quiet, as usual, but she had a sparkle in her eye that I'd never noticed before. "How are things?"

"Same old!" Lance laughed. "I managed to convince Allura to give me some time off after the whole Prodigy situation, but I'm back at work now."

"How about you, Keith?" Veronica asked me. "How are you? How's Shiro doing?"

"Shiro is good. I think he's talking about moving into a new place with Adam once he sells the tattoo shop."

"So where will that leave you?" Acxa interjected. "Surely he wont leave you without a place to live?"

My cheeks flushed. "I'm sure I can find somewhere." I dared not tell anyone, but Lance had offered for me to live with him after the sale. Nothing had been finalized yet, but since Lance and I were still in the early stages of our relationship, I didn't want to do anything to jeopardise it.

"He'll live with me, obviously." Lance threw out casually, causing me to turn even more red.

"Oh, of course!" Veronica laughed. "I always forget my little brother has his own apartment."

"So, how did the two of you meet? You never told me." Lance asked his sister, grabbing my hand under the table and putting it on his thigh. "Obviously at the hospital, but, like, how did you end up...?"

"Dating?" Veronica finished. "Well, I was in charge of Acxa's rehab after the accident, so we spent a lot of time alone together. Things just sort of...fell into place."

The girls looked at each other affectionately. 

"We knew it was special from the first time we looked at each other." Acxa added. 

Lance squeezed my hand under the table. I understood exactly what Veronica and Acxa meant when they said it was special. I felt exactly the same way about Lance. I'd never intended to fall in love, but fate had had other plans for us - and I was so happy to have met him.

 

End of Mini-fic 1.


End file.
